France says it struck Islamic State positions in Syria
The Hindu
French aircraft strike IS in Syria, as Defence Minister Lecornu vows to battle terrorism in the Levant.
French aircraft have bombed Islamic State positions in Syria, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said Tuesday (December 31, 2024), in its first such strike on the country's soil since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
"Our armed forces remain engaged in battling terrorism in the Levant," Mr. Lecornu wrote on X while on a New Year visit to French U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon.
"On Sunday(December 29, 2024), French air assets carried out targeted strikes against Daesh on Syrian soil," he added, using the Arabic name for IS.
The defence ministry told AFP that France's Rafale fighter jets and U.S.-made Reaper drones "dropped a total of seven bombs on two military targets belonging to Daesh in central Syria".
France has belonged to the Inherent Resolve international coalition against IS since 2014 for Iraq and 2015 for Syria.
French troops involved in the operations are based in the region, including in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
As Assad's fall to a shock offensive by Syrian rebels led by a radical Sunni group rapidly reshapes the country, observers fear space could be left for IS to regather its strength.
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