Egypt carried out air strikes against Islamic State group targets in Libya on Monday after the jihadists posted a video showing the decapitation of 21 Coptic Christians, the military said.
“Your armed forces on Monday carried out focused air strikes in Libya against Daesh camps, places of gathering and training, and weapons depots,” the military said in a statement, using the Arabic acronym for IS.
State television showed footage of Egyptian fighter jets it said were taking off to conduct the strikes.
“The air strikes hit their targets precisely, and the falcons of our air forces returned safely to their bases,” the military’s statement said.
“We affirm that avenging Egyptian blood and retaliating against criminals and killers is a duty we must carry out.”
The air strikes came hours after the jihadists posted gruesome footage of the beheadings on the Internet, sparking outrage in Egypt and demands for revenge.
A visibly angry President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Egypt “reserves the right to respond in a suitable way and time” in a televised speech, and declared seven days of mourning.
The cruel killings triggered palpable outrage not only in Egypt but all over the world.
The footage shows 21 handcuffed hostages wearing orange jumpsuits being beheaded by their black-suited captors on a beach the group said was in the Libyan province of Tripoli.
In the latest issue of the IS online magazine Dabiq, the group had said the same number of Egyptian hostages were being held in Libya.
The Egyptian leader also called a meeting of a top security body in Cairo that includes his defence and interior ministers along with top military figures.
The White House led condemnation of the apparent beheadings, describing the killers as “despicable” and adding that the brutality shown “further galvanises the international community to unite against ISIL,” an alternative acronym for the group.
The Coptic Church issued a statement saying it was “confident” the Christians’ killers would be brought to justice as it confirmed those beheaded were Egyptian Copts.
Al-Azhar, the prestigious Cairo-based seat of Islamic learning, denounced the “barbaric” killings.