Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French warplanes in a combined operation targeting an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory used by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the British defence ministry.
The location, located using surveillance, was thought to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just above Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a series of entry passages providing entry to the facility... early reports indicate the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the attack on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - established militant control over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and resolve to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of the group after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this mission for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were thousands of UK service members deployed over the holidays. This action, to take out militants who endanger our security, shows how UK forces are ready to step up, all year round, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military conducted what it described as a "major assault" on Daesh sites in Syria, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. estimates Islamic State still boasts roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Syria and Iraq.
