UK votes on whether to bomb ISIS in Syria

The four RAF jets carried a range of munitions including Paveway IV guided bombs and precision-guided Brimstone missiles.

Tornado jets from the base attacked an oil field controlled by the so-called Islamic State within hours of MPs authorising the action in a Commons vote last night.

Fallon said the UK Ministry of Defence would be assessing the damage done by the bombing later, but the aim was to strike “a very real blow on the oil and revenue on which Daesh (another name for ISIS) depends”.

As the first British aircraft were sent within hours of MPs voting to back the strikes, Captain Richard Davies, of RAF Marham, told the BBC: “In over 400 air strikes that the RAF has carried out in Iraq, we have had absolutely no civilian casualties reported”.

“The prime minister’s attempt to brand those who planned to vote against the government as terrorist sympathisers both demeans the office of the prime minister and I believe undermines the seriousness of deliberations we are having today”.

Britain was poised on Wednesday to join a U.S.-led bombing campaign against Islamic State targets in Syria, with Parliament due to vote following a debate marked by bitter accusations that have revived the ghosts of Britain’s involvement in the Iraq war.

In a statement Thursday, the president said the British vote to begin airstrikes in Syria – and an upcoming German vote Friday to take part in the operation – were a sign that Europeans would stand together after the Islamic State attacks that killed 130 people in Paris.

A YouGov opinion poll showed voter support for military action in Syria had fallen to the lowest level since September 2014, with 48 per cent of respondents supporting strikes and 31 per cent opposing.

MPs have voted in favour of air strikes in Syria. “Or do we sit back and wait for them to attack us?”

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn opposed the bombing but had given MPs a free vote amid divisions within his own ranks.

“This is the right thing to do to keep Britain safe, to deal with this evil organization, and as part of a process to bring peace and stability to Syria”, British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond told CNN.

In unprecedented scenes in the House of Commons, the Shadow Foreign Secretary received rapturous applause from MPs from across the House as he made a powerful speech explaining why he disagreed with his leader.

He also raised concerns about who will fight Daesh on the ground in Syria, questioning the oft-quoted “mythical” 70,000 figure.

Karin von Hippel, who was chief of staff to U.S. Gen. John Allen when he was the United States’ anti-ISIS envoy, said force alone would not defeat the militants – but neither would diplomacy by itself. Lawmakers in the House of Commons rebuffed Cameron’s call for a strong response to allegations the Syrian government had used chemical weapons in the civil war.