British air strikes against IS in Syria to make Britain safer: Cameron

Britain's Prime Minister David Cameron leaves 10 Downing Street in London, Britain November 26, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

LONDON - British Prime Minister David Cameron on Thursday said that British air strikes against Islamic State (IS) targets in Syria will make his country safer.

Launching air strikes against IS militants in Syria would not make Britain a bigger target for terrorist attacks, Cameron said when he addressed the House of Commons, lower house of the British Parliament, on his plan for British military intervention against the IS in Syria.

Urging British lawmakers to back his proposal of taking military action in Syria, Cameron stressed that Britain, already a target for IS, also known as ISIL or ISIS, should not "outsource our security to allies".

"We have to hit these terrorists in their heartland right now," he said.

Cameron released a document Thursday, setting out his plan for British air strikes in Syria.

"There is a credible military strategy to defeat ISIL in Syria, as well as in Iraq. We should not expect this to happen quickly. It will require patience and persistence. But it is achievable," he wrote in the document.

The Labor Party, Britain's largest opposition party, was split over British military involvement in Syria, with its leader Jeremy Corbyn and some senior members in his shadow cabinet taking opposing views.

Corbyn said that he could not support British air strikes in Syria, likely to trigger a backlash in his own party.

Corbyn rebuffed Cameron's claim that striking IS would make Britain safer, but some senior members in his own Labor Party indicated that his stance might prompt resignations and rebellions in his shadow cabinet.

However, Cameron's position has won support from former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who said that Britain should "take strong action" against the IS.

In a live show in London, Blair said that he supported Britain to take strong action against the IS and strike the IS headquarters, which is in Syria.

"This is the biggest security challenge of the 21st century and it's going to take a long time to defeat it and you have to defeat a number of different levels," he added.