Driving out Islamic State (IS) militants will not be a "weekend campaign", British defence secretary Michael Fallon has warned, after the first combat sorties by RAF warplanes over Iraq failed to locate any suitable targets to strike.

British warplanes are poised to launch air strikes against Islamic State (IS) jihadists after the British parliament gave the green light for military action.

The British Ministry of Defence has confirmed two RAF jets were scrambled from their base on Cyprus earlier this week to investigate two aircraft travelling from the direction of Syria.

David Cameron has firmly rejected pressure to go back to the British Parliament in a fresh attempt to seek MPs’ approval for involvement in military action in Syria, following the Prime Minister’s dramatic defeat last Thursday.

Nine British soldiers are facing charges in Cyprus after an incident in the coastal town of Ayia Napa on Friday night, the UK's Ministry of Defence said today.