RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack against an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory employed by the IS group, according to the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and resolve to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary said.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group following its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among thousands of UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the American forces carried out what it called a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
