RAF Typhoon fighter aircraft have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory used by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was believed to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the statement said, and was situated in mountainous terrain just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a several approach shafts leading to the depot... initial indications suggest the objective was successfully hit," the ministry announced.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action shows our UK leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to eradicate any revival of Daesh and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces involved in this mission for their skill and their bravery," the Defence Secretary said. "Including them were a great many British troops on duty over Christmas and New Year. This mission, to remove militants who endanger our safety, shows how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the American forces carried out what it termed a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, following an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN estimates IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in both countries.
