First combat missions launched from HMS Queen Elizabeth

The British Ministry of Defence confirmed that RAF and U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs had launched their first combat missions from HMS Queen Elizabeth, in the eastern Mediterranean, against targets of the self-styled Islamic State under Operation Shader. It was the first time a British carrier had conducted strike operations since the Harrier's retirement in 2010. Some secondary sources place earlier sorties between 18 and 20 June, without official confirmation.