British Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as ISIS - enforced militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary said.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces who took part in this operation for their expertise and their bravery," he commented. "They were among thousands of UK service members on duty over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, all year round, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and influential overseas."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it called a "major assault" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an ambush killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Syria and Iraq.
