France has launched airstrikes against the Islamic State in its stronghold of al-Raqqa in Syria.
The French Defence Ministry said the campaign was a major bombardment involving 10 French planes that dropped 20 bombs, destroying a commando position where munitions were stored and a training camp for terrorists.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, speaking on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Turkey, said France has always said it would react in self defence.
"That's what we did today with the strikes on Raqqa. We can't let Daesh attack without a reaction," Fabius said, using an alternative name for Islamic State.
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The targets were identified ahead of time by French reconnaissance, and the operation was carried out "in co-ordination with American forces", the ministry said.
The airstrikes come in retaliation for Friday's night of terror in Paris in which up to 132 people were killed some 350 were injured.
French President Francois Hollande called the attacks an "act of war" and promised a "ruthless" response against Islamic State, which claimed responsibility.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Sunday's strikes prompt the extremist militia to put its fighters in al-Raqqa on alert. No casualties have been reported, the monitoring group reported.
The French Air Force is a member of a US-lead coalition that has been bombing Islamic State targets in Iraq since September 2014.
Since September France has participated several times in bombing positions in Syria.
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