RAF Tornado jets have carried out their first air strikes against the self-styled Islamic State in Syria, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed.
Four Tornados from RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus took part in the operation soon after MPs voted to approve bombing.
The "successful" strikes hit the IS-controlled Omar oil fields in eastern Syria, the defence secretary said.
But the PM cautioned that campaign would take time, saying "we're going to need to be patient and persistent".
"It is complex and it is difficult what we are asking our pilots to do, and our thoughts should be with them and their families as they commence this important work," David Cameron said.
MPs overwhelmingly backed UK military action against IS - also known as Daesh - in Syria, by 397 votes to 223, after a 10-hour Commons debate on Wednesday.
Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said the MoD would be assessing the damage done by the bombing later, but the aim was to strike "a very real blow on the oil and revenue on which Daesh depends".
He had personally approved the targets ahead of the Commons vote, he said.
He confirmed that eight more jets - two Tornados and six Typhoons - were being sent to to join the eight existing jets at the Akrotiri base.
The Typhoons have left RAF Lossiemouth in Moray, Scotland, to join the air strikes.
We watched the orange/blue glow from the engine afterburners of a pair of Tornados disappear into the night sky. Each aircraft was carrying three 500lb Paveway bombs.
Less than an hour later, they were followed by a second pair loaded with the same weapons.
The use of high precision Paveway bombs, rather than the Brimstone missile, suggests they were hitting static rather than moving targets.
We waited for the first pair of Tornados to return to base. They landed after just over three hours in the air. As they taxied on the runway, it was clear to see their bombs were missing.
Mr Fallon said there was a "very rigorous" process by which targets were chosen, and all British military action would adhere to "very strict rules of engagement".
Asked how long the UK might be involved in the coalition campaign against IS in Syria, he said it would "not be quick", but argued it had not been right to leave bombing to other air forces.
On the issue of ground forces, he said the prime minister of Iraq had made it very clear he did not want Western troops on the ground to fight IS.
But the UK could still achieve "plenty from the air", including cutting off IS sources of income such as oil fields, he added.
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