Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have joined forces with France's air force in a joint strike against an subterranean weapons facility in Syria employed by the IS group, according to the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was situated in mountains just north of the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized precision-guided Paveway IV munitions to strike a several access tunnels down to the facility... initial indications are that the objective was successfully hit," officials stated.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon fighters were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - established militant control over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any efforts to regroup" of IS following its routing at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to the personnel of our armed forces involved in this mission for their expertise and their courage," he said. "They were part of thousands of UK service members stationed over the holidays. This action, to remove dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, shows how our armed forces are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK at home and powerful internationally."
Last December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in the country, following an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Daesh still boasts an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in both countries.
