RAF Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the IS group, according to the British defence ministry.
The location, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several entry passages down to the site... early reports indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
IS - alternatively referred to as ISIS - imposed militant control over parts of both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with our allies, to stamp out any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State after its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank every member of British forces who took part in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," Healey commented. "They were part of numerous UK service members deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, highlights how British military are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, after an attack killed two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
