Footage has emerged of the first US airstrikes against the "Islamic State" (ISIS) terrorist group in Syria; according to Al Arabiya 120 ISIS terrorists were killed in the airstrikes.
Previous strikes had focused on halting the terror group, also known as IS or ISIS, in its rapid advance through Iraq. But on Monday night anti-ISIS coalition aircraft struck targets near the group's de-facto capital in Raqqa, northern Syria.
The airstrikes were not carried out in cooperation with the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad, despite the latter's insistence that strikes without prior consent would be considered "an act of war". Nevertheless Syrian government officials say they were "informed" of the strikes.
Significantly, apart from the US Air Force several Sunni Muslim Arab states also took an active part in the operation.
Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar all participated in the mission, although the Qataris reportedly participated only in supporting roles, and did not bomb any targets themselves.