France, Russia launch more strikes against IS targets in Syria

A French fighter jet is seen on the runway at an undisclosed location, in this picture released by the ECPAD November 17, 2015. [Photo/Agencies]

France and Russia bombed Islamic State targets in Syria on Tuesday, punishing the group for attacks in Paris and against a Russian airliner that together killed 353 people.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the coordinated attacks in Paris on Friday and the downing of the Russian jet over Sinai on Oct 31, saying they were in retaliation for French and Russian air raids in Iraq and Syria.

Still reeling from the Paris carnage that killed 129 people, France made an unprecedented appeal for European Union support and investigators said they were making progress in unraveling the plot, which was reportedly hatched in Syria and nurtured in Belgium.

Seven attackers died on Friday night, but video footage suggested that two other men were directly involved in the operation and subsequently escaped, not one as previously said.

Police also discovered two places in Paris where the militants probably stayed before the violence and also found a third car abandoned in the city that was used in the operation.

France pounded an Islamic State's command and a recruitment center in their stronghold of Raqqa, in Syria, the Defense Ministry said.

Six Mirage 2000 and four Rafale fighter jets took off from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates on Monday night to carry out the attacks, said the ministry in a press release.

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