Belgium government has decided to extend its air strikes against the Islamic State group in Iraq into Syria. The government says it will send six F-16 fighter jets for operations in Syria from July the first.

Belgium launched its first attacks against ISIL in Iraq in 2014, but did not join the strikes in Syria amid public fears over getting dragged into a wider conflict. However, the terrorist attacks in Paris in November and Brussels in March sharply changed sentiment.

Belgian Foreign Minister Didier Reynders [Did-i-air RAIN-ders] said shortly after the Brussels attacks that the government was reconsidering its position. He said it did not make sense to attack ISIL in Iraq but not in Syria.