Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, according to the UK's MoD.
The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of entry passages providing entry to the depot... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - referred to as ISIS - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Iraq and Syria prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their valour," Healey added. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who pose a risk to our way of life, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
In December, the US military conducted what it called a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, after an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 militants in both countries.
