Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several access tunnels down to the facility... early reports suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and determination to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of Islamic State after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
During December, the American forces executed what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting IS targets in Syria, following an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports IS still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
