Airstrikes targeting Isis in Syria are not the solution, but only part of a much broader effort to unite local populations in restoring stability and annihilating extremism, according to Prime Minister Joseph Muscat.

“War is and always should be the least preferred option,” he said, adding the action by a number of countries was comprehensible if properly coordinated and served to weaken Daesh, the Arabic name used to describe Isis.

Dr Muscat was reacting after Britain launched its first airstrikes against Isis on Thursday, joining a coalition of countries including the US, France, and more recently Germany, to target the terrorist organisation.

These attacks, he told The Sunday Times of Malta, were “probably, and unfortunately, necessary” in the short term.

Isis, he said, had risen from the mismanagement of the aftermath of the Iraq war since many sectors of the population felt disenfranchised.

“It would be easy to dismiss any military action against Isis on the basis of this fiasco. Nevertheless, a lack of a resolution of the situation in Syria and Libya… should not serve as an excuse to do nothing,” he said.

The broader solution, Dr Muscat said, came in the form of providing enhanced security, health and education sectors and by building the infrastructure necessary for economic development.

“Malta’s natural role lies in facilitating dialogue and helping neighbouring populations achieve their aspirations.”

The airstrikes, coupled with Malta’s Security Service’s concerns over the expansion of Isis in Libya, have sparked a debate over whether bombing the terrorist group was the right decision.

Former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi said while Isis had to be contained and military action to achieve this was inevitable, history had also shown that no military solution resolved ideological conflict.

Libya’s former foreign minister Mohamed Abdul-Aziz also argues that an integrated approach is crucial in the fight against Isis as air bombardments alone will not resolve the problem.