Live Blog: War against Islamic State
The United States and its Arab allies launched aerial raids against Islamic State in Syria on Tuesday morning.
A US official confirmed to media that five Arab states - Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar - took part in the bombing campaign.
The first bombs fell at around 10pm EDT (2am GMT), with the operation continuing for several hours.
Live Updates
The Jordanian government has confirmed the participation of Jordanian warplanes in the airstrikes carried out by the United States and allies against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) militant group in Syria.
"Jordan is currently participating in the airstrikes that started earlier in the day against ISIL targets in Syria," Information Minister Mohamed al- Momani, also the government spokesman, told Anadolu Agency.
"Jordan has joined the international coalition that aims to stop ISIL advancement," he added. "We would not allow the ISIL to reach the Jordanian territory, and we would take the initiative to do whatever necessary to preserve the safety and security of our land."
The Pentagon has confirmed the sweeping scale of the bombardment against IS targets in Syria and the international partners involved.
In a statement it said:
"US military forces and partner nations, including the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, undertook military action against ISIL terrorists in Syria overnight, using a mix of fighter, bomber, remotely piloted aircraft and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles to conduct 14 strikes against ISIL targets."
"The strikes destroyed or damaged multiple ISIL targets in the vicinity of Ar Raqqah, Dayr az Zawr, Al Hasakah, and Abu Kamal and included ISIL fighters, training compounds, headquarters and command and control facilities, storage facilities, a finance center, supply trucks and armed vehicles."
"To conduct these strikes, the United States employed 47 TLAMs launched from USS Arleigh Burke and USS Philippine Sea operating from international waters in the Red Sea and North Arabian Gulf, as well as US Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps fighter, remotely piloted and bomber aircraft deployed to the U.S. Central Command area of operations. In addition, the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates also participated in or supported the airstrikes against ISIL targets. All aircraft safely exited the strike areas."
"The United States conducted these strikes as part of the President’s comprehensive strategy to degrade and ultimately defeat ISIL. Going forward, the US military will continue to conduct targeted airstrikes against ISIL in Syria and Iraq as local forces go on the offensive against this terrorist group."
At least 50 air strikes have been launched against militants in Syria, according to the British-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
They included strikes against militants from the al-Qaida linked Al-Nusra Front, a rival group to Isis, the Observatory reported.
Targets hit included Isis headquarters in the eastern Syrian town of Abu Kamal and training camps in the province of Deir al-Zor.
Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said at least 20 Islamic State fighters were killed in the air strikes. He also said Nusra Front positions had been struck in the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo in northwest Syria.