RAF Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syrian territory operated by the IS group, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The site, identified by reconnaissance, was assessed as containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was located in hills just north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our aircraft employed precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to hit a series of approach shafts providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian casualties in the attack on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - also known as Daesh - established militant control over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action underscores British leadership, and commitment to operate in unison with allied nations, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary John Healey remarked.
RAF aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its routing at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I must thank the personnel of British forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their valour," he added. "Including them were numerous British troops on duty over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who endanger our security, shows how UK forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK at home and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military conducted what it described as a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an attack claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations estimates Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
