French Airstrikes Hit ISIS Targets in Syrian Desert Amid Political Shift
DAMASCUS — French air power has struck Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) targets in Syria over the weekend, in a first since the fall of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. French Minister of Defense Sebastian Lecornu confirmed the news on Tuesday.
"Our armies remain engaged in the fight against terrorism in the Levant," Lecornu tweeted, using the Arabic acronym ‘Daesh’ for ISIS. "On Sunday, French air assets carried out targeted strikes against Daesh locations in Syria."
The minister shared a video of the operation, stating, "Our forces continue to be committed to the international coalition ‘Operation Inherent Resolve’ since 2014 in Iraq and 2015 in Syria."
The footage begins with a French military pilot preparing for the mission, followed by aerial footage that appears to show the destruction of a small camp in the desert. The French Ministry of Defense disclosed to AFP that French Rafale jets and U.S. Reaper drones dropped a total of seven bombs on two ISIS military targets in central Syria.
This development comes in the wake of Assad’s ouster by a coalition of armed opposition groups led by Hayat Tahrir-al-Sham (HTS). The airstrikes underscore France’s ongoing commitment to the international fight against terrorist groups in the region.
