Al-Azhar, Egypt's leading Islamic authority, supported Egypt's airstrikes against Daesh in Libya as a revenge for the beheading of 21 Copts by the terrorist group in the North African nation.
The armed forces air strikes are an act of defense and are regarded as jihad for the sake of Allah and the nation, Azhar said in a statement.
The statement said crimes that are being carried out by Daesh require "a strong confrontation".
Azhar strongly rejected calling Daesh an 'Islamic state'.