French aircraft have bombed Islamic State (IS) positions in Syria, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced on Tuesday. This marks France’s first such strike on Syrian soil since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.
"Our armed forces remain engaged in battling terrorism in the Levant," Lecornu wrote on X (formerly Twitter) during a New Year visit to French UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. "On Sunday, French air assets carried out targeted strikes against Daesh on Syrian soil," he added, using the Arabic name for IS.
The French Defence Ministry confirmed to AFP that 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 coalition "Inherent Resolve" against IS since 2014 in Iraq and 2015 in Syria. French troops supporting these operations are stationed in the region, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The strike comes amid fears that IS could exploit the current instability in Syria to regain strength. Observers are concerned that the ongoing conflict, particularly following Assad's fall to a surprise offensive by Syrian rebels led by a radical Sunni group, may leave a vacuum for IS resurgence.
The group has managed to survive in both Iraq and Syria despite the destruction of its so-called caliphate, which lasted from 2014 to 2019.
In mid-December, Washington announced it had doubled the number of American troops in Syria to approximately 2,000. The US Central Command (Centcom), which oversees the Middle East, stated that its goal is to ensure IS does not reconstitute in central Syria. Additionally, around 2,500 US troops remain stationed in Iraq.
