French air strikes target Islamic State oil infrastructure
French warplanes have struck Islamic State oil and gas infrastructure targets in eastern Syria aimed at weakening Islamic State's financial resources, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday.
Paris launched its first combat missions in Syria at the end of September, destroying Islamic State training camps to prevent the group from carrying out attacks against French interests and to protect Syrian civilians. However, the strikes this week appear to go beyond its original mandate.
"There was a strike yesterday on an oil distribution centre and last night we have hit another oil distribution centre and a gas separation factory," Le Drian told a news conference in Dakar.
The defence ministry said the strikes had taken place in the Deir az-Zor region.
