Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French warplanes in a coordinated attack targeting an underground arms cache in Syria used by the IS group, according to the UK's MoD.
The site, pinpointed through reconnaissance, was thought to be housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was positioned in hills just above the historic site of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a series of approach shafts leading to the depot... early reports indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any harm to civilians in the strike late on Saturday and all the aircraft returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
Daesh - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced militant control over large swathes of both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike underscores British leadership, and resolve to operate in unison with allied nations, to stamp out any resurgence of Daesh and their violent and radical beliefs in the region," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syrian airspace to "forestall any attempted comeback" of IS after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I want to thank all the members of the UK armed forces participating in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of numerous UK service members deployed over the festive period. This action, to remove militants who pose a risk to our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, throughout the year, ensuring Britain's security within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the United States armed forces executed what it called a "large-scale strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, following an attack resulted in the deaths of two American soldiers and a civilian interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. reports IS still has roughly 5-7 thousand combatants in Iraq and Syria.
