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| Syria airstrikes: Britain launches 'offensive operation' after vote to bomb Isis targets – live updates | Syria airstrikes: Britain launches 'offensive operation' after vote to bomb Isis targets – live updates |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| 6.48am GMT06:48 | |
| One critic of the British decision to begin airstrikes in Syria is Nicolas Hénin, a French journalist who was held hostage by Islamic State for 10 months and released in April 2014. | |
| In a five-minute video said to have been recorded in the past few days in Paris and posted on YouTube by the Syria Campaign, Hénin said: “Strikes on Isis are a trap. The winner of this war will not be the parties that have the newest, most expensive, most sophisticated weaponry, but the party that manages to have the people on its side.” | |
| In his message, apparently timed to coincide with Wednesday’s UK parliament debate on joining Syria airstrikes, he said: “At the moment, with the bombings, we are more likely pushing the people into the hands of Isis. What we have to do, and this is really key, we have to engage the local people. | |
| “As soon as the people have hope in the political solution, then Islamic State will just collapse. It will have no ground any more. It will collapse.” | |
| Read the full story here | |
| 6.45am GMT06:45 | |
| A key rationale in David Cameron’s case for airstrikes in Syria is the existence of 70,000 moderate Syrian ground troops who he says stand ready to work with foreign forces to retake Raqqa, Isis’ Syrian stronghold. | |
| But as my colleague Ewan MacAskill writes, the PM has so far failed to clarify which groups make up these forces, where they are based, or their ideological hue. On Wednesday night Cameron also appeared to recast the readiness of these troops to take on Isis. | |
| In a sign of backtracking, the prime minister made an important switch in emphasis from last week: from such a force being willing and ready on the ground to one that might be in the future. Such a future would require a peace settlement between President Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian army and the Free Syrian Army, freeing them all up to unite in the fight against Isis. | |
| Read the full piece here | |
| 6.34am GMT06:34 | |
| Wednesday’s decisive Commons debate will be remembered for Hilary Benn’s wind-up speech, in which he powerfully (but politely) challenged his own leader and asserted Labour’s claim to be the party of activist, hard-edged internationalism. Towards the end, he compared the imperative to bomb Isis in Syria to ‘why this entire House stood up against Hitler and Mussolini’. | |
| 6.15am GMT06:15 | 6.15am GMT06:15 |
| Summary | Summary |
| Hours after the UK parliament voted to authorise airstrikes in Syria RAF jets have flown their first sorties. Here’s what we know so far: | Hours after the UK parliament voted to authorise airstrikes in Syria RAF jets have flown their first sorties. Here’s what we know so far: |
| Updated at 6.43am GMT | |
| 5.47am GMT05:47 | 5.47am GMT05:47 |
| Airstrikes hit six targets in Isis-controlled oilfield: report | Airstrikes hit six targets in Isis-controlled oilfield: report |
| Thursday morning’s strikes were focused on six targets in an Isis-controlled oilfield in eastern Syria, the BBC is reporting. | Thursday morning’s strikes were focused on six targets in an Isis-controlled oilfield in eastern Syria, the BBC is reporting. |
| The Tornado jets used Raptor pods, two-metre long surveillance devices fixed underneath the aircrafts, to scope out their targets, supported by an RAF Reaper unmanned drone. | The Tornado jets used Raptor pods, two-metre long surveillance devices fixed underneath the aircrafts, to scope out their targets, supported by an RAF Reaper unmanned drone. |
| Both the US-led and Russian bombing campaigns against Isis targets in Syria have recently stepped up strikes against oil infrastructure controlled by the militant group in a bid to deprive it of revenue. Isis is estimated to generate around $1m USD each day from oil sales. | Both the US-led and Russian bombing campaigns against Isis targets in Syria have recently stepped up strikes against oil infrastructure controlled by the militant group in a bid to deprive it of revenue. Isis is estimated to generate around $1m USD each day from oil sales. |
| Updated at 6.11am GMT | Updated at 6.11am GMT |
| 5.27am GMT05:27 | 5.27am GMT05:27 |
| The MoD has declined to say what exactly its fighters have targeted in Syria. A press conference is reportedly planned for later this morning, and a full list of strikes will be published in the coming days. | The MoD has declined to say what exactly its fighters have targeted in Syria. A press conference is reportedly planned for later this morning, and a full list of strikes will be published in the coming days. |
| My colleague Ewan MacAskill has more on how targets are selected, and raises the possibility that Thursday morning’s strikes may have been preplanned to send a message. | My colleague Ewan MacAskill has more on how targets are selected, and raises the possibility that Thursday morning’s strikes may have been preplanned to send a message. |
| Targets in Iraq and Syria are chosen by a US-run headquarters in Qatar. These targets – referred to by David Cameron as “dynamic” – are identified by surveillance aircraft, drones and intelligence and passed to headquarters for a decision. | Targets in Iraq and Syria are chosen by a US-run headquarters in Qatar. These targets – referred to by David Cameron as “dynamic” – are identified by surveillance aircraft, drones and intelligence and passed to headquarters for a decision. |
| The HQ then allocates a plane according to which plane is closest and the weaponry being carried. That could be one of two RAF Tornados in the air over Iraq and Syria at the time. | The HQ then allocates a plane according to which plane is closest and the weaponry being carried. That could be one of two RAF Tornados in the air over Iraq and Syria at the time. |
| The alternative is that the UK government, wanting to make the point that Britain has joined coalition strikes in Syria, might have a preplanned target in mind. The French government, after launching about 20 airstrikes against Isis in Syria after the Paris attacks, announced it had hit an Isis “command and control centre” that had managed to evade 15 months of US bombing. | The alternative is that the UK government, wanting to make the point that Britain has joined coalition strikes in Syria, might have a preplanned target in mind. The French government, after launching about 20 airstrikes against Isis in Syria after the Paris attacks, announced it had hit an Isis “command and control centre” that had managed to evade 15 months of US bombing. |
| The RAF, in its hitlist of targets in Iraq published on Wednesday, said a Tornado had hit an Isis sniper team in Ramadi last Thursday and demolished a building. On the same day, Tornados destroyed an Isis machine gun firing on Kurds. On Friday, the RAF destroyed an oil tanker. On Sunday, the targets included a car bomb, two buildings, two alleged Isis members on a motorbike and a checkpoint. On Monday, three machine guns were destroyed in support of the Kurds. | The RAF, in its hitlist of targets in Iraq published on Wednesday, said a Tornado had hit an Isis sniper team in Ramadi last Thursday and demolished a building. On the same day, Tornados destroyed an Isis machine gun firing on Kurds. On Friday, the RAF destroyed an oil tanker. On Sunday, the targets included a car bomb, two buildings, two alleged Isis members on a motorbike and a checkpoint. On Monday, three machine guns were destroyed in support of the Kurds. |
| Read the full story here | Read the full story here |
| Updated at 5.27am GMT | Updated at 5.27am GMT |
| 5.13am GMT05:13 | 5.13am GMT05:13 |
| Will British involvement in Syria make a difference? Agence France-Presse has cited a couple of foreign policy specialists, both of who have their doubts. | Will British involvement in Syria make a difference? Agence France-Presse has cited a couple of foreign policy specialists, both of who have their doubts. |
| “It will not make a big operational difference,” said Professor Malcolm Chalmers of military think-tank the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). | “It will not make a big operational difference,” said Professor Malcolm Chalmers of military think-tank the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). |
| “It is important symbolically, useful operationally, but not transformative.” | “It is important symbolically, useful operationally, but not transformative.” |
| Tim Eaton and Chris Phillips of foreign affairs think-tank Chatham House accused ministers of “knee-jerk reactions... not part of a well-considered long-term strategy to defeat and degrade IS”. | Tim Eaton and Chris Phillips of foreign affairs think-tank Chatham House accused ministers of “knee-jerk reactions... not part of a well-considered long-term strategy to defeat and degrade IS”. |
| “It is understandable that the British government doesn’t want to stand by as IS continues to terrorise or as Syria continues to be consumed by chaos but reaching for a quick military option like the one proposed is not the answer,” they wrote in an article for Prospect magazine. | “It is understandable that the British government doesn’t want to stand by as IS continues to terrorise or as Syria continues to be consumed by chaos but reaching for a quick military option like the one proposed is not the answer,” they wrote in an article for Prospect magazine. |
| 4.59am GMT04:59 | 4.59am GMT04:59 |
| There are currently eight Tornado jets based at Akrotiri in Cyprus, but they are likely to be joined shortly by another two, my colleague Ewan MacAskill reports. | There are currently eight Tornado jets based at Akrotiri in Cyprus, but they are likely to be joined shortly by another two, my colleague Ewan MacAskill reports. |
| Capt Richard Davies, a Tornado pilot and station commander, said on Wednesday the extra jets would allow the RAF to increase sorties from two a day. | Capt Richard Davies, a Tornado pilot and station commander, said on Wednesday the extra jets would allow the RAF to increase sorties from two a day. |
| How soon could the RAF be in action over Syria, he was asked before the vote by MPs. “If a vote yes, if Tornados flying at that time and if there is a target in Syria, UK bombing could happen overnight … If all those ducks are aligned and the aircraft are airborne at that moment and a target comes up they will go. It depends where they are. If we are airborne in Iraq and the vote is yes, we could be targeting on that mission,” Davies said. | How soon could the RAF be in action over Syria, he was asked before the vote by MPs. “If a vote yes, if Tornados flying at that time and if there is a target in Syria, UK bombing could happen overnight … If all those ducks are aligned and the aircraft are airborne at that moment and a target comes up they will go. It depends where they are. If we are airborne in Iraq and the vote is yes, we could be targeting on that mission,” Davies said. |
| Read the full story here | Read the full story here |
| Updated at 4.59am GMT | Updated at 4.59am GMT |
| 4.50am GMT04:50 | 4.50am GMT04:50 |
| More images from RAF Akrotiri of those four Tornado jets departing the base around two hours ago. | More images from RAF Akrotiri of those four Tornado jets departing the base around two hours ago. |
| Updated at 5.16am GMT | Updated at 5.16am GMT |
| 4.44am GMT04:44 | 4.44am GMT04:44 |
| According to the BBC, the four Tornados that left Cyprus in pairs at 03.00 GMT were carrying three 500lb (226kg) Paveway bombs each. Two have returned so far without the weapons. | According to the BBC, the four Tornados that left Cyprus in pairs at 03.00 GMT were carrying three 500lb (226kg) Paveway bombs each. Two have returned so far without the weapons. |
| 4.38am GMT04:38 | 4.38am GMT04:38 |
| Reuters is reporting that two of the four Tornado bombers that left RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus hours after the UK parliament authorised airstrikes in Syria have since returned to the base. | Reuters is reporting that two of the four Tornado bombers that left RAF Akrotiri base in Cyprus hours after the UK parliament authorised airstrikes in Syria have since returned to the base. |
| “A strike was made from over Syria,” said a government source, who spoke on condition of anonymity. | “A strike was made from over Syria,” said a government 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | After more than 10 hours of tense debate, members of parliament voted in favour of the air strikes, by 397 to 223. |
| In addressing parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister David Cameron said high-precision, laser-guided Brimstone missiles attached to the Tornado GR4 bombers would help to make a real difference by hitting the de facto Islamic State capital of Raqqa and its oil-trading business. | In addressing parliament on Wednesday, Prime Minister David Cameron said high-precision, laser-guided Brimstone missiles attached to the Tornado GR4 bombers would help to make a real difference by hitting the de facto Islamic State capital of Raqqa and its oil-trading business. |
| France and the United States are already bombing Islamist militants in Syria, while Russia has bombed mainly other rebels, according to conflict monitors and Western officials, in an intervention launched on Sept. 30 to bolster its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The West says Assad must go. | France and the United States are already bombing Islamist militants in Syria, while Russia has bombed mainly other rebels, according to conflict monitors and Western officials, in an intervention launched on Sept. 30 to bolster its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The West says Assad must go. |
| Updated at 5.18am GMT | Updated at 5.18am GMT |
| 4.32am GMT04:32 | 4.32am GMT04:32 |
| Here’s our news wrap on this morning’s development: | Here’s our news wrap on this morning’s development: |
| Britain has carried out its first airstrikes in Syria, hours after MPs voted overwhelmingly to authorise military action. | Britain has carried out its first airstrikes in Syria, hours after MPs voted overwhelmingly to authorise military action. |
| RAF Tornado jets were seen taking off from the Akrotiri base in Cyprus and the Ministry of Defence later confirmed that they had carried out the “first offensive operation over Syria and have conducted strikes”. | RAF Tornado jets were seen taking off from the Akrotiri base in Cyprus and the Ministry of Defence later confirmed that they had carried out the “first offensive operation over Syria and have conducted strikes”. |
| The four RAF jets carry a range of munitions including Paveway IV guided bombs and precision-guided Brimstone missiles. Defence officials refused to be drawn on the targets of their mission. | The four RAF jets carry a range of munitions including Paveway IV guided bombs and precision-guided Brimstone missiles. Defence officials refused to be drawn on the targets of their mission. |
| Read the full story here | Read the full story here |
| Updated at 5.18am GMT | Updated at 5.18am GMT |
| 4.16am GMT04:16 | 4.16am GMT04:16 |
| Britain begins 'offensive operation' in Syria | Britain begins 'offensive operation' in Syria |
| British jets have struck targets in Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed, hours after MPs voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday night to authorise an extension of bombing. | British jets have struck targets in Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed, hours after MPs voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday night to authorise an extension of bombing. |
| Four RAF Tornado jets were seen taking off from their airbase at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus shortly after the vote. Their destination was not immediately clear but the MoD said in a statement jets had carried out the “first offensive operation over Syria and have conducted strikes”. | Four RAF Tornado jets were seen taking off from their airbase at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus shortly after the vote. Their destination was not immediately clear but the MoD said in a statement jets had carried out the “first offensive operation over Syria and have conducted strikes”. |
| Two aircraft have reportedly returned to the Cyprus airbase without their payloads, and another four are on standby. | Two aircraft have reportedly returned to the Cyprus airbase without their payloads, and another four are on standby. |
| The MoD has announced it will hold a press conference later this morning. | The MoD has announced it will hold a press conference later this morning. |
| We will update you with the latest developments here. | We will update you with the latest developments here. |
| Updated at 5.14am GMT | Updated at 5.14am GMT |