As the world mourns the brutal attacks in Paris that left 129 people dead and more than 300 injured, France launched an all-out air offensive against the Islamic State. The massive airstrike, involving 10 fighter planes from France, targeted various key ISIS locations, including a command and control center, jihadi recruitment center, munitions depot and a training camp in Raqqa, according to FOX News.
The airstrikes were launched from the United Arab Emirates and Jordan, and was initiated in coordination with U.S. forces. The Islamic State regards Raqqa as the caliphate's de facto capital.
The retaliatory strikes involved 12 aircraft, 10 of which were from France's air force. According to a Defense Ministry official, a total of 20 bombs were dropped during the airstrike, in what is currently France's biggest bombing campaign against the Islamic State, reports USA Today.
The United States has so far led the vast majority of attacks against the Islamic State, and has so far been solely responsible for coalition bombings inside Syrian areas that are controlled by the Islamic State.
With the multiple attacks on Paris on Friday, however, this trend seems set for change, with French President Francois Hollande specifically calling the attacks an "act of war," further vowing that France "will be merciless towards the barbarians of the Islamic State group."
For more updates on the Paris attacks, click here.
