Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, located using surveillance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was located in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of access tunnels providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established extremist governance over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores our UK leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eradicate any re-emergence of IS and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," Britain's Defence Chief the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syria to "forestall any efforts to regroup" of the group subsequent to its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to every member of our armed forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "Including them were numerous British personnel on duty over the holidays. This operation, to take out terrorist threats who endanger our security, highlights how British military are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and strong abroad."
During December, the US military executed what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says Daesh still has an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
