Egypt called on the U.S.-led coalition fighting Islamic State in Syria and Iraq to confront militants in Libya, a day after the group released a video showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christian Egyptians there.

Egypt and Libya said on Monday they launched air strikes against Islamic State targets in Libya.

"Egypt renews its call for the international coalition against the Da'esh terrorist organisation ... to take the necessary measures to confront the terrorist Da'esh organisation and other similar terrorist organisations on Libyan territories," the foreign ministry said in a statement, using an Arabic acronym for the group.