Britain’s top defense official said Friday that the country’s two military bases on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus are “more important than ever” in light of the turmoil gripping nearby Syria.

Axar.az reports that, in the first-ever official visit to the island by a British defense secretary, Michael Fallon said British Tornado and Typhoon warplanes stationed at RAF Akrotiri have made 1,200 strikes against Islamic State group targets in Iraq and Syria in the last two years.

​Fallon said coalition forces will this year aim to strike the “decisive blow” against the IS group after pushing back its fighters in 2016, according to a transcript of his remarks provided by Cyprus’ Defense Ministry. (AP)