RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of approach shafts down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as ISIS - imposed jihadist rule over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I extend gratitude to all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their valour," he added. "They were among a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This mission, to take out militants who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the American forces carried out what it called a "large-scale strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations says Islamic State still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
