Royal Air Force Typhoon FGR4s have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the Daesh militant organization, according to the British defence ministry.
The location, identified by reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a several approach shafts leading to the facility... early reports indicate the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the defence officials confirmed.
The British jets were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - referred to as ISIS - enforced extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and determination to work closely with our partners, to stamp out any re-emergence of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the area," UK Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS after its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank every member of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their skill and their courage," he commented. "They were among numerous British troops stationed over the festive period. This mission, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, shows how British military are ready to step up, all year round, ensuring Britain's security at home and influential overseas."
During December, the United States armed forces carried out what it described as a "major assault" targeting IS targets in the country, subsequent to an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The United Nations reports Islamic State still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
