Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with France's air force in a coordinated attack on an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the IS group, as stated by the UK Ministry of Defence.
The location, identified by 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 Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a number of entry passages leading to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the target was engaged successfully," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian casualties in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft made a safe return, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as ISIS - established extremist governance over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and commitment to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
UK warplanes have carried out surveillance missions over Syria to "forestall any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank all the members of British forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "Including them were numerous UK service members deployed over the holidays. This mission, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our way of life, highlights how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, ensuring Britain's security domestically and powerful internationally."
Last December, the US military conducted what it described as a "massive strike" against IS targets in the country, subsequent to an ambush resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
