RAF Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the IS group, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The site, located using intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of access tunnels providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments indicate the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack conducted Saturday night and each participating jet made a safe return, 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 jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," Britain's Defence Chief John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have conducted overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank the personnel of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "They were among thousands of UK service members stationed over the holidays. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our security, shows how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, after an assault killed two US troops and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still boasts between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Iraq and Syria.
