RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was situated in mountains just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our aircraft used Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a several access tunnels providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the attack late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of IS and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have conducted surveillance missions over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces involved in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous British troops deployed over the holidays. This action, to remove terrorist threats who threaten our way of life, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the United States armed forces conducted what it called a "major assault" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The U.N. says IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 militants in both countries.
