A squadron of British fighter jets left the Mediterranean island of Cyprus to carry out strikes against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), said The British Ministry of Defense on Saturday.
"We can confirm that --- Royal Air Force (RAF) Tornados continue to fly over Iraq and are now ready to be used in an attack role as and when appropriate targets are identified," said a Ministry of Defence spokesman.
"For operational security reasons we will not be providing a running commentary on movements; we will provide an update on activity when it is appropriate to do so," he added.
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said that the RAF Tornados have been flying reconnaissance missions over Iraq for the past six weeks, but these are the first flights since they have been authorized to launch air strikes.
It added that the Tornados were supported by a Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft, noting that the action comes after Parliament voted by 524 votes to 43 to take action against ISIL in Iraq, but not Syria.