LONDON (AP) — The latest developments regarding the fight against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq: All times local:
8:40 a.m.
France’s government is welcoming the first British airstrikes in Syria, saying they are a sign of the European solidarity promised after the Nov. 13 attacks that terrorized Paris.
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.
French fighter jets joined the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State extremists in Iraq in 2014, and expanded their mission to IS targets in Syria in September. President Francois Hollande cited specific threats against French interests stemming from IS in Syria.
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8:00 a.m.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense says its jets struck at oil facilities in Syria, hours after Parliament voted for Britain to join allies in bombarding the Islamic State group.
The ministry said in a Twitter message that Royal Air Force jets hit the Omar oil fields. There was no immediate assessment offered of the results of the strikes.
British warplanes have carried out airstrikes in Syria, hours after Parliament voted to authorize air attacks against Islamic State group targets there.
Earlier, a Ministry of Defense spokesman told the AP that four Royal Air Force Tornados operating from a British air base in Akrotiri, Cyprus, participated in the attack. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give his name when discussing operations.
—By Menelaos Hadjicostis
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