France says launched airstrikes on IS positions in Syria
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French Defense Ministry says Rafale fighter jets and US-made Reaper drones dropped a total of seven bombs on two IS military targets in central Syria.
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A French Rafale warplane takes off from the Charles-de-Gaulle aircraft carrier in the Mediterranean Sea, on November 23, 2015Anne-Christine Poujoulat (AFP)
French aircraft have targeted Islamic State (IS) positions in Syria, marking the country's first such strike since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed the operation on Tuesday, stating that "French forces remain committed to fighting terrorism in the Levant."
In a post on X during his New Year visit to French UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, Lecornu wrote, "Our armed forces remain engaged in battling terrorism in the Levant."
He added, "On Sunday, French air assets carried out targeted strikes against Daesh on Syrian soil," using the Arabic term for IS.
According to the French Defense Ministry, Rafale fighter jets and US-made Reaper drones dropped a total of seven bombs on two IS military targets in central Syria.
France has been part of the international Inherent Resolve coalition against IS since 2014 in Iraq and 2015 in Syria, with French troops stationed in the region, including in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
As Syria undergoes rapid changes after the fall of the al-Assad regime, concerns are growing that the situation could allow IS to rebuild its strength. Despite the collapse of its so-called caliphate between 2014 and 2019, the group has continued to operate in both Iraq and Syria.
In December, the United States announced that it had increased its troop presence in Syria to around 2,000, with Central Command (Centcom) alleging that its goal was to prevent IS from exploiting the shifting dynamics in central Syria. The US also has approximately 2,500 troops deployed in Iraq.
Read more: Syrians remain concerned about extremist factions within HTS: VOA
