British bombers make first air strikes on Syria after UK parliament vote
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Akrotiri: British bombers made their first strikes on Syria on Thursday, just hours after Britain's parliament voted to target Islamic State targets in Syria, a government source said.
Tornado bombers took off from the RAF Akrotiri air base in Cyprus and made strikes on targets in Syria, the source said. The bombers are back at base.
"A strike was made from over Syria," said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The source declined to give further operational information about the targets or the number of aircraft involved, citing national security.
A Reuters witness in Cyprus saw four jets leaving in pairs from the air base within an hour of each other. Two have since returned.
RAF Akrotiri has been used as a launchpad for attacks on Islamic State targets in Iraq for just over a year, and late on Wednesday Britain's parliament broadened its scope for targets within Syria.
After more than 10 hours of tense debate, members of parliament voted in favour of the air strikes, by 397 to 223.
