British Air Force Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a coordinated attack against an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the IS group, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through surveillance, was assessed as housing weapons and explosive materials, the release indicated, and was situated in mountainous terrain just above the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets utilized laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to target a series of approach shafts leading to the facility... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the attack late on Saturday and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager tanker plane.
The Islamic State group - alternatively referred to as the so-called Islamic State - enforced extremist governance over parts of Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike demonstrates British leadership, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with our partners, to stamp out any resurgence of the terrorist group and their harmful and extremist ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary stated.
British military aircraft have carried out patrols over Syria to "deter any efforts to regroup" of the group following its military defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank all the members of our armed forces participating in this mission for their professionalism and their courage," the Defence Secretary commented. "Including them were numerous UK service members stationed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our safety, demonstrates how our armed forces are always on standby, continuously, protecting the UK domestically and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military executed what it called a "major assault" against Islamic State objectives in the country, subsequent to an assault claimed the lives of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The UN reports Islamic State still maintains between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in both countries.
