The USS Harry Truman, a Navy aircraft carrier, is now in the eastern Mediterranean conducting air strikes against the Islamic State, a Navy official confirmed to Fox News.
(FOX)- “This is showing the U.S. Navy can conduct flight operations (against ISIS) from other locations, not just the (Persian) Gulf,” the official said Friday.
F/A-18 Hornets launched from Truman conducted strikes against ISIS targets in Syria, according to a senior defense official familiar with the operation.
The Navy strike fighters flew over Turkey for a majority of the flight, the official added to minimize exposure to Russian air defenses now operational in western Syria along the Mediterranean coast, the official added.
The U.S. Navy did not alert Russian or Syrian officials before conducting the strike operations against the Islamic State, Fox News is told.
The Russians have set up an S-400 fourth-generation surface-to-air missile system in Syria late last year.
Truman and her escort ships transited the Suez Canal, Thursday according to the Navy.