Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the IS group, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The site, located using intelligence, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a several entry passages down to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates the UK's leading role, and resolve to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were a great many British personnel deployed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate militants who threaten our way of life, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, continuously, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military executed what it called a "massive strike" against IS targets in Syria, following an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. reports IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
