France controversially launches air strikes in Syria, claiming to target 'Islamic State'

France has admitted to launching missile strikes in Syria last weekend, targeting what it claimed were "Islamic State sites", French Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu revealed on Tuesday.

"On Sunday, French air forces carried out targeted strikes against Islamic State sites based on Syrian territory," Lecornu posted on X, the social media platform. France's claim could not be independently verified. 

The French attack came in the wake of a US air strike in Syria that Washington claimed was aimed at eliminating two Islamic State group operatives.