France flies over Syria, mulls ISIS airstrikes

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - France has carried out its first reconnaissance flight over Syria using Rafale fighter jets and will consider launching airstrikes against the Islamic State militants, the French Ministry of Defense announced Tuesday.

The BBC news agency reported Monday that President Francois Hollande asked Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian to launch close flights over the Syrian border and enable France to conduct anti-ISIS strikes, according to bbc news agency.

Hollande announced Monday that France may begin targeting the Islamic State organization, but added that sending ground forces to Syria, which has been engulfed in a civil war since 2011, was "unrealistic and illogical."

According to the French Ministry of Defense, Tuesday’s mission was to collect intelligence on Islamic State radicals and strengthen France’s ability to operate in Syria.

“Similar missions will be carried out in the future,” the official said.

France currently launches airstrikes only in Iraq and supplies arms to the so-called moderate opposition in Syria.

France is a member of the coalition formed by the United States to pursue President Barack Obama's goal to "degrade and destroy" the jihadist group.