RAF crew scrawled a message on a missile on its way to blast ISIS targets in Syria that read 'Love from Manchester.'

The defiant note was initially believed to be a social media hoax but RAF bosses confirmed its veracity later today.

It is understood it was the brainchild of a drone squadron based at a secret location in the Middle East, in response to Monday night's terror attack at Manchester Arena that claimed 22 innocent victims.

It was reported to be a Hellfire missile on social media, although it was later confirmed as a Paveway IV bomb.

The message 'Love from Manchester' was written on a Hellfire missile destined for ISIS

The picture appeared on Twitter with the caption: 'RAF Armourer on a Reaper UAV squadron wrote this on a Hellfire (sic) missile before taking off on a Syria mission'.

An RAF spokesman told MailOnline: 'The RAF can confirm the photo was genuine'.

A source said: 'The sentiment of the message is understandable under the circumstances.

'There's a history of messages being written on missiles in the RAF.

'It's unlikely the individual responsible for it will be disciplined.'

The tradition of writing messages on bombs dates back to the Second World War and has featured in every conflict since.

Following the terror attacks in Paris in November 2015 that left 130 dead, the message 'From Paris, With Love' daubed on American bombs and missiles bound for ISIS strongholds.

Russian military also inscribed 'For Paris' on bombs destined for ISIS targets in Syria, in solidarity with the victims of those horrifying attacks in the French capital.