Retaliatory Airstrike Carried Out In Syria By France

French war-planes pounded Islamic State’s Syrian stronghold Sunday in the nation’s first retaliation against the jihadists.

The raid destroyed an IS command post, a recruitment centre, a munitions depot and a “terrorist” training camp in Raqa, the defence ministry said.

The operation was coordinated with US forces by a dozen aircraft which took off from Jordan and the United Arab Emirates, it said.

Hollande has denounced the Paris attacks as an “act of war” and vowed to hit back against IS “without mercy”.

France prepared to fall silent at noon Monday to mourn victims of the Paris attacks after its warplanes pounded the Syrian stronghold of Islamic State, the jihadist group that has claimed responsibility for the slaughter.

With a manhunt under way for suspects across Europe, French police released a photograph of a “dangerous” suspect also wanted in Belgium, where Friday’s bloodbath may have been planned.

France was to observe a minute’s silence at midday (1100 GMT), which the European Union has called on all member states to respect. In the United States, the Stars and Stripes will fly at half-mast at the White House until sunset Thursday.

President Francois Hollande will observe the silence at the Sorbonne University, in recognition of the large toll of young people among the 129 dead. Another 352 were injured, scores of them seriously.

The worst terror attack in French history has stunned the capital, less than 11 months after jihadists struck satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket, killing 17.

Despite a state of emergency, schools were to reopen Monday morning with museums, theatres and other cultural centres following at 1:00 pm after being shut in the wake of the attacks.