Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have operated alongside French aircraft in a combined operation on an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of approach shafts providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as ISIS - established extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action demonstrates British leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among numerous British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military conducted what it termed a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an attack killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
