( CNN ) -- British jets sent to join the fight against ISIS have conducted reconnaissance missions but have not yet targeted any militant positions , the country 's Ministry of Defence said Saturday . The intelligence gathered by the aircraft will help determine targets for future missions , according to the ministry . They 're ready to strike when necessary , the ministry said . The Royal Air Force Tornadoes were sent from the Akrotiri air base in Cyprus to Iraq , according to the defense ministry . Photographs released by the ministry appeared to show two aircraft . A tanker aircraft supported the British fighters , the Ministry of Defence said , adding that U.K. transport aircraft continued to deliver supplies to Kurdish forces fighting ISIS . Parliament authorized airstrikes by British forces on Friday against ISIS in Iraq , but not Syria . How much will it cost Britain to bomb ISIS ? 'Not the stuff of fantasy ' The 524-43 vote to join the air campaign came after Prime Minister David Cameron told Parliament that the country had a `` duty to take part '' in international efforts to combat the extremist group . The terror group is an organization of `` staggering '' brutality , he said , which has already killed one British hostage and threatens the lives of two more . `` This is not a threat on the far side of the world ; left unchecked , we will face a terrorist caliphate on the shores of the Mediterranean and bordering a NATO member , with a declared and proven determination to attack our country and our people , '' he said . The anatomy of ISIS : How it is run , from oil to beheadings . `` This is not the stuff of fantasy ; it is happening in front of us ; and we need to face up to it . '' The government insists such action is legal because Iraq 's government has requested international help to tackle the Sunni extremist group , which has overrun vast swathes of Iraq and Syria and massacred religious minorities and Shia Muslims . Anti-ISIS coalition grows , but that does n't mean victory is near . Wariness over new Iraq action . The parliamentary authorization , which was backed by the three main Westminster parties , rules out the use of UK troops in any possible ground combat operations in Iraq . Many lawmakers who spoke in the debate before the vote voiced wariness over new military action in Iraq given the way the 2003 war turned out . UK forces already have been taking part in surveillance and reconnaissance missions over Iraq , as well as aiding Kurdish forces with equipment . Everything you need to know about the rise of the 'Islamic State ' The United States and a handful of Arab nations began bombing raids in Syria this week against ISIS targets . U.S. aircraft had already been carrying out airstrikes against ISIS -- the group also known as ISIL , which calls itself the Islamic State -- in Iraq since last month . French fighter jets have also carried out bombing raids in Iraq , while Belgium and Denmark have also said they will provide planes . Opinion : Airstrikes will not beat ISIS . CNN 's Susannah Palk contributed to this report .
NEW : British jets conduct recon flights over Iraq , the UK Ministry of Defence says . Ministry : The jets are ready to strike when necessary . The mission comes a day after Parliament approved military action in Iraq . RAF Tornadoes were deployed from an airbase in Cyprus to fly over Iraq .