RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French warplanes in a combined operation on an subterranean weapons facility in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, according to the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a number of access tunnels leading to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and each participating jet returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as Daesh - enforced jihadist rule over parts of both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eliminate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," the British Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
UK warplanes have carried out patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of IS after its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces involved in this operation for their skill and their valour," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were thousands of British troops on duty over the festive period. This operation, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and influential overseas."
Last December, the US military executed what it described as a "massive strike" on Daesh sites in Syria, subsequent to an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The UN says Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
