Led coalition targets IS oil facilities in eastern Syria

British Tornados struck oil fields that help finance the activities of the Islamic State group and Germany prepared to send reconnaissance aircraft to the Middle East as coalition forces stepped up efforts to fight the militants Thursday.

“There are plenty more of these targets throughout eastern, northern Syria which we hope to be striking in the next few days and weeks”, Fallon said.

RAF Tornado and Reaper aircraft have carried out more than 380 successful strikes in Iraq in more than a year of strikes against Daesh targets, with no reports of civilian casualties, according to the MoD.

Britain’s entry into the air war in Syria against Islamic State is unlikely to drive the militarised cult from its capital at Raqqa city, the countryside around Aleppo or the oil fields in Deir al-Zor province.

Although the British vote adds little additional military capability to the coalition, it has had outsized political and diplomatic significance since last month’s attacks in Paris, as Europe’s other leading military power wrestled with a decision to join France in expanding its military action.

Shadow Commons leader Chris Bryant highlighted the issue of abuse targeted at MPs planning to support bombing of Islamic State in Syria.

“But what I’ve been very clear about is that we are going to systematically squeeze and ultimately destroy ISIL and that requires us having a military component to that”, he told CBS, using an acronym for Islamic State, also known as ISIS or Daesh.

Prime Minister David Cameron told MPs it was a question of whether the United Kingdom should go after “the terrorists in their heartlands” or “sit back and wait for them to attack us”.

But Labour’s own chief foreign affairs spokesman Hilary Benn delivered an impassioned speech in favour of bombing, illustrating deep divisions in the party.

Just under a third of Labour members of parliament defied Corbyn to vote for action.

The U.K. parliament voted Wednesday to expand air strikes in Syria, but a recent poll suggests voters might not be on board.

The French leader has welcomed the first British airstrikes targeting ISIS in Syria, the Élysée Palace said in a statement.

During the debate, the government also faced a string of questions about whether joining the global military action on Syria could make Britain more vulnerable to attacks from IS.

“What was really important about the vote last night was that it confirmed that Britain is a serious ally”, said Mr Fallon.

The Royal Air Force is already taking part in operations against Islamic State in Iraq.