Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a joint strike against an hidden munitions depot in Syria employed by the IS group, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The site, identified by intelligence, was believed to be storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was positioned in hills just to the north of the ancient city of Palmyra in central Syria.
"The RAF jets employed Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several access tunnels providing entry to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the objective was successfully hit," the MoD said.
There was no indication of any civilian impact in the operation on Saturday evening and all the aircraft returned safely, the ministry further stated.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as the so-called Islamic State - imposed jihadist rule over parts of Iraq and Syria before its territorial defeat in 2019.
"This operation underscores the UK's leading role, and determination to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to stamp out any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
British military aircraft have conducted overwatch operations over Syria to "deter any attempted resurgence" of Islamic State after its military defeat at the Baghuz confrontation in 2019, the ministry said.
"I extend gratitude to every member of the UK armed forces who took part in this strike for their professionalism and their valour," the Defence Secretary commented. "They were part of a great many British troops deployed over Christmas and New Year. This operation, to take out dangerous terrorists who threaten our security, demonstrates how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, protecting the UK domestically and strong abroad."
Last December, the US military carried out what it termed a "large-scale strike" targeting Islamic State objectives in the country, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in Palmyra.
The UN says Islamic State still has between 5,000 and 7,000 fighters in Iraq and Syria.
