British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with France's air force in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria used by the IS group, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, located using reconnaissance, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in hills just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"The RAF jets used laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any harm to civilians in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets 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 both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation shows our UK leadership, and resolve to work closely with allied nations, to eradicate any revival of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group after its military defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces who took part in this mission for their expertise and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous British troops stationed over the holidays. This mission, to take out dangerous terrorists who endanger our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, all year round, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces executed what it termed a "major assault" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The UN says Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
