Operation Impact is the name of Canada's contribution to the military intervention against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. It began on 4 September 2014, when the Canadian government announced that it would deploy up to 100 Canadian special forces to Iraq in a non-combat advisory role. It was later confirmed that around 69 forces were operating in Iraq. On 3 October, Canada's role in the intervention increased when Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced that Canada would be deploying 9 total aircraft, including 6 combat aircraft to Iraq. Harper also did not rule out Canadian involvement in the American-led intervention in Syria, but only on the condition that Syria's government would approve of it. Canadian airstrikes in Iraq began on 2 November.