Royal Air Force Typhoon jets have joined forces with French aircraft in a coordinated attack targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syrian territory employed by the Daesh militant organization, as stated by the UK's MoD.
The facility, pinpointed through intelligence, was assessed as storing arms and explosives, the statement said, and was situated in hills just to the north of Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"The RAF jets employed laser-guided Paveway IV weapons to hit a several entry passages providing entry to the site... early reports suggest the strike was effective," officials stated.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the strike on Saturday evening and every plane involved made a safe return, the ministry further stated.
The Typhoon FGR4s were backed up by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - also known as ISIS - imposed extremist governance over significant areas in Syria and Iraq until 2019.
"This action underscores the UK's leading role, and commitment to work closely with our allies, to eradicate any resurgence of the terrorist group and their violent and radical beliefs in the Middle East," the British Defence Secretary John Healey stated.
RAF aircraft have performed surveillance missions over Syria to "prevent any attempted resurgence" of IS subsequent to its defeat at the battle of Baghuz in the year 2019, the ministry said.
"I want to thank all the members of our armed forces who took part in this strike for their expertise and their bravery," Healey added. "They were among numerous British personnel stationed over Christmas and New Year. This action, to eliminate terrorist threats who endanger our security, highlights how British military are prepared to act, throughout the year, keeping Britain secure at home and influential overseas."
In December, the United States armed forces conducted what it termed a "major assault" on IS targets in Syria, after an assault resulted in the deaths of two US servicemembers and a civilian linguist in the Palmyra area.
The United Nations estimates IS still maintains an estimated 5,000 to 7,000 combatants in Syria and Iraq.
