Tue Dec 31 12:24:37 UTC 2024: ## France Launches Air Strikes Against ISIS in Syria
**Paris, December 31, 2024** – France conducted its first air strikes against Islamic State (ISIS) targets in Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Defence Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced today. French Rafale fighter jets and Reaper drones dropped seven bombs on two ISIS military targets in central Syria on December 29th.
The strikes, part of the ongoing Inherent Resolve coalition against ISIS, come amid concerns that the changing political landscape in Syria following a rebel offensive could create opportunities for the terrorist group to regroup. The U.S. recently doubled its troop presence in Syria to approximately 2,000 soldiers to counter this threat, with a further 2,500 deployed in Iraq. Lecornu stated that French forces remain committed to combating terrorism in the Levant. The strikes underscore growing international anxieties about ISIS resurgence in the region despite the destruction of its self-declared caliphate in 2019.
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