Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside France's air force in a combined operation against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was positioned in mountains 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 several entry passages down to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the operation late on Saturday and each participating jet returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - enforced extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary the minister stated.
UK warplanes have conducted surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank every member of British forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," he added. "They were among a great many British personnel deployed over the holidays. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, highlights how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
