RAF Typhoon jets have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a combined operation targeting an underground arms cache in Syria operated by the Daesh militant organization, per a report from the British defence ministry.
The facility, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the announcement noted, and was positioned in mountains just to the north of the historic site of Palmyra in central Syria.
"Our fighter planes employed Paveway IV guided bombs to hit a series of entry passages down to the facility... preliminary assessments are that the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no evidence of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and each participating jet returned safely, the defence officials confirmed.
The Typhoon fighters were assisted by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
The Islamic State group - referred to as ISIS - established extremist governance over large swathes of Iraq and Syria until 2019.
"This action underscores our UK leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with our allies, to stamp out any revival of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the area," the British Defence Secretary John Healey said.
UK warplanes have performed overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State subsequent to its routing at the Baghuz confrontation in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this operation for their professionalism and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were among a great many British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate dangerous terrorists who threaten our safety, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure domestically and powerful internationally."
In December, the US military carried out what it called a "massive strike" against Islamic State objectives in the country, after an assault killed two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The U.N. says IS still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
