British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French aircraft in a joint strike on an subterranean weapons facility in Syria used by the IS group, per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was located in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft used precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to target a series of approach shafts down to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established extremist governance over significant areas in Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This action shows British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I want to thank all the members of British forces who took part in this mission for their professionalism and their valour," he commented. "They were among numerous British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, shows how our armed forces are always on standby, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
In December, the American forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
