France has conducted its first airstrike on ISIS

France has conducted its first airstrike on ISIS
(Image credit: CC by: Airwolfhound)

Early Friday, French Rafale fighter jets bombed a depot in northeastern Iraq controlled by Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), marking France's first attack on ISIS and the first airstrike by a non-U.S. foreign country. The depot was "entirely destroyed," French President Francois Hollande's office said in a statement, and "other operations will follow in the coming days."

On Thursday, Hollande had said that French airstrikes against ISIS — or, as they say in France, Daesh — were coming "soon," but that France will not attack targets in Syria. France started flying reconnaissance missions over Iraq on Monday.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up
Explore More
Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.