British Air Force Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the IS group, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, located using reconnaissance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just north of the historic site of Palmyra in the heart of Syria.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a several access tunnels down to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager tanker plane.
Daesh - also known as the so-called Islamic State - established jihadist rule over parts of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to eliminate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "prevent any attempted comeback" of IS after its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces involved in this operation for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many British troops deployed over the holidays. This operation, to remove dangerous terrorists who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are prepared to act, continuously, keeping Britain secure within its borders and strong abroad."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it called a "massive strike" targeting IS targets in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations says Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand militants in Syria and Iraq.
