British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The location, located using intelligence, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a number of approach shafts leading to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
IS - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of the group following its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of thousands of British troops stationed over the holidays. This action, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our security, highlights how UK forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces executed what it described as a "large-scale strike" against Daesh sites in the country, after an attack killed two US servicemembers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates IS still has between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
