British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the IS group, according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in hills just to the north of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several entry passages providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and every plane involved made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group following its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their courage," the Defence Secretary added. "Including them were thousands of British troops on duty over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military executed what it described as a "massive strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush claimed the lives of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand militants in both countries.
