Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with France's air force in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the IS group, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a number of access tunnels down to the site... initial indications indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to eliminate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the minister remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their courage," he added. "They were among thousands of UK service members deployed over the holidays. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, shows how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces executed what it called a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates Islamic State still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in both countries.
