Britain Launches First Syria Air Strikes

Four RAF Tornadoes were deployed from Akrotiri air base in Cyprus soon after Parliament authorized strikes, returning early Thursday, the ministry said.

Chris White, MP for Warwick and Leamington voted in favour of action against extremist group, ISIL in Syria, despite saying no to a similar move in 2012.

A British Tornado taxis on the runway after returning from a mission at RAF Akrotiri, in southern Cyprus December 3.

“This is not about whether we want to fight terrorism, it’s about how best we do that”, he told MPs during a House of Commons debate.

British lawmakers voted by a wide margin on Wednesday to join the global campaign of airstrikes against the Islamic State group in Syria, after Prime Minister David Cameron asserted that bombing the “medieval monsters” in their heartland would make Britain safer.

In his rebuttal to Cameron, Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn called the Syria decision “one with potentially far-reaching consequences for us all, here in Britain, people in Syria and those in Middle East”.

Referring to the attacks in France that killed 130 people last month, Cameron urged his country to “answer the call” from its allies and take part in the air strikes.

The U.K. premier came under fire during the debate for refusing to apologize for suggesting opponents of his plans were “terrorist sympathizers”. He declined to apologise, but said there was “honour” in voting for or against military action.

“The action we propose is legal, it is necessary and it is the right thing to do to keep our country safe”, he said.

He said the majority were members of the Free Syrian Army and that there were a further 20,000 Kurdish fighters with whom Britain could also work.

“We are doubling our strike force”.

A vote is expected later in the day.

Thousands of anti-war protesters took to the streets to demonstrate against airstrikes before the vote.

“Finally, and perhaps most important of all, the Prime Minister is still entirely unable to explain how United Kingdom bombing in Syria would contribute to a comprehensive negotiated political settlement of the Syrian war”, he said.

Three former Labour ministers – Alan Johnson, Dame Margaret Beckett and Yvette Cooper – made speeches in favour of extending military action.

Cameron said the decision to send British forces would be about more than just sending moral support.

He said the military campaign will have two stages: air strikes to degrade ISIS capabilities and an eventual ground assault. This is extending targeted air strikes from over the now practically meaningless boundary of Iraq, into Syria, to target Da’esh at its heart, on the desperate request of Arab nations and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies.