British Tornado jets took off from the Royal Air Force base at Akrotiri in Cyprus before dawn on Thursday, hours after the British parliament voted 397-223 to support Prime Minister David Cameron’s plan to extend air strikes from Iraq to Syria.
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It comes after the first night of British involvement in the conflict in Syria which saw British Tornados hit seven targets in eastern Syrian oil fields.
“Our aircraft then remained on patrol to collect intelligence on possible terrorist positions and be ready to strike any further targets that might be identified in eastern Syria or western Iraq”.
“We are striking at Islamic State’s (ISIS) core in Iraq and in Syria, we are intensifying our support to local partners fighting ISIS on the ground, we are increasingly sinking our efforts to prevent foreign fighters from destroying our homelands”, he said.
Speaking in his state-of-the-nation address, Putin accused Washington and its allies of turning Iraq, Syria and Libya into a “zone of chaos and anarchy threatening the entire world” by supporting change of regimes in those countries.
The mission will include sending six Tornado reconnaissance jets, a frigate to help protect the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, refuelling aircraft and up to 1,200 military personnel.
The RAF Tornado and Reaper aircraft that have been conducting air strikes against Daesh have been reinforced by a detachment of Typhoon fighters, which are also carrying Paveway IV precision guided bombs.
A military source said: “We are going after the head of the snake but it’s also about going after its wallet”.
France welcomed the first British airstrikes in Syria, saying they are a sign of the European solidarity promised after the deadly November 13 attacks on Paris claimed by ISIS militants.
Other European officials also appealed for a joint global response. It had inspired the worst terrorist attack against British people since 7 July 2005 on the beaches of Tunisia and plotted atrocities on the streets of Britain, he said.
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Defence Secretary Michael Fallon is visiting RAF Akrotiri, in Cyprus – the base for the United Kingdom mission in Syria – as jets carry out their second wave of air strikes against so-called Islamic State.
