RAF Typhoon jets have operated alongside French warplanes in a joint strike on an underground arms cache in Syria employed by the Daesh militant organization, according to the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was thought to be storing arms and explosives, the release indicated, and was located in hills just north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our aircraft employed Paveway IV guided bombs to strike a series of entry passages providing entry to the facility... preliminary assessments indicate the strike was effective," the MoD said.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved returned to base without incident, the MoD added.
The British jets were backed up by a Voyager aerial refuelling aircraft.
The Islamic State group - referred to as Daesh - established jihadist rule over significant areas in both Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This strike shows the UK's leading role, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies, to eradicate any revival of IS and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the Defence Secretary remarked.
British military aircraft have performed patrols over Syrian airspace to "deter any attempted comeback" of Islamic State following its routing at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the MoD reported.
"I must thank every member of British forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their courage," Healey added. "They were among numerous UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to take out terrorist threats who threaten our security, demonstrates how our armed forces are ready to step up, all year round, protecting the UK at home and influential overseas."
During December, the US military carried out what it called a "massive strike" on Islamic State objectives in Syria, after an ambush claimed the lives of two US troops and a civilian interpreter in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates Daesh still has roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
