A Marine Rafale fighter jet is catapulted from the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle on the Mediterranean Sea on Saturday as part of the Operation Arromanches III (AFP photo)

PARIS — French warplanes are flying over Iraq after the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier rejoined the US-led fight against Daesh extremists — and as the coalition prepares to try to take back the key city of Mosul.

France, which has suffered repeated attacks at home from Daesh-linked extremists, is ramping up its military presence in Iraq ahead of the offensive in Mosul, the largest city held by the extremists. The Iraqi government has been gearing up with support from the United States and other allies for the mission, which could mark a turning point in the fight against Daesh.

A French defence official said Friday's mission "in no way" constitutes the beginning of the battle for Mosul. The French official, speaking anonymously in line with defence policy, said preparations are still under way with the US and other partners to coordinate the Mosul offensive. She would not provide details of Friday's operation for the security of the pilots.

French planes have flown 32 missions over the past week, with Rafale jets destroying four targets with air strikes and backing up Iraqi ground forces, according to a French military statement.

The Charles de Gaulle returned to the zone last week after undergoing maintenance in France, and is now on its third mission in the region since the French military started targeting Daesh two years ago in Iraq.

France expanded its air strikes to Daesh targets in Syria last year. After an attack on Nice on Bastille Day in July killed 86, French President Francois Hollande ordered an artillery battery sent to Iraq to bolster the operation.

About 150 French forces with 4 Caesar artillery systems are now in the area around Qayara, 48 kilometres south of Mosul, according to the defence ministry. They are performing tactical missions for the coalition, and training Iraqi forces, according to military officials, but are not expected to engage in combat. French medical and logistics teams are also in place. </s> Image copyright AFP Image caption A Rafale fighter takes off from the Charles de Gaulle in the Mediterranean sea the day before the operation

France has begun air operations over Iraq from the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, reports say.

A number of Rafale fighter planes took off from the carrier early on Friday, news agency AFP said.

The Charles de Gaulle, France's only aircraft carrier, was sent to the region earlier in September.

This is its third mission with the US-led coalition since France stepped up military operations after the January 2015 Paris attacks.

Iraqi forces have gained significant ground in the battle for Mosul, which was occupied by IS in June 2014, and are expected to launch an offensive to retake the city soon.

AFP quoted an officer on board, who said the planes would take part in an attack on Mosul, an IS stronghold in Iraq.

However, a French defence official told the Associated Press that Friday's mission was "in no way" the start of a battle for Mosul. He said the ministry would not provide details of the operation for the security reasons.

French radio station RTL reported (in French) that 24 aircraft will take part in today's operation, with a sortie every three minutes, on average.

It also said the fighters were armed with four 250kg laser-guided bombs each.

The Charles de Gaulle is a 38,000-tonne ship powered by two nuclear reactors. It has more than 1,900 crew, and is 260 metres (850ft) long. </s> The French armed forces have intervened in northern Chad and launched airstrikes at an armed group coming in from Libya, according to France’s Defense Ministry. The operation took place on Sunday and was organized in cooperation with the Chadian Army. A patrol of Mirage 2000 airplanes hit a column of 40 pickups coming from Libya that penetrated “deep into Chadian territory,” AP reported. The “intervention, in response to a request from Chadian authorities, helped hinder this hostile progression and disperse the column,” the ministry said. French President Emmanuel Macron visited Chad in December and reaffirmed French backing for African anti-extremist forces amid international concern about the chaos in Libya. Macron also met with French soldiers deployed in the Sahel region with Operation Barkhane, France’s largest overseas military mission. </s> Reports by CNN Turkish that Russian warplanes on at least four separate occasions buzzed the American destroyer USS Donald Cook in the Eastern Med have been denied by the Russians. Indeed that would have been unlikely since until recently Cook was anchored in Cyprus, quite a distance from Syria.

A different, earlier incident where the Russians buzzed a French warship which was much closer appears to be true however. Reuters:

A Russian warplane this weekend flew over a French warship at low altitude in the eastern Mediterranean, a deliberate breach of international regulations, a French naval source said on Tuesday. The incident, first reported by Le Point magazine, comes as tensions mount between Russia and Western nations following a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria on April 7. At least 60 people were killed in the attack, according to a Syrian relief agency. France, the United States and their allies are considering a coordinated military response after accusing the Russia-backed Syrian government of being behind the attack. Damascus and Moscow have denied a chemical attack took place. The weekly magazine said the Russian plane had flown over frigate Aquitaine over the weekend and was fully-armed. The Aquitaine is equipped with 16 cruise missiles and 16 surface-to-air missiles. It is currently operating off Lebanese shores alongside U.S. ships as part of France’s contingent fighting Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.

Aquitaine which Reuters calls a destroyer is actually a helicopter-carrying frigate. It is the only French ship in theater capable of firing cruise missiles and would therefore be part of the anticipated US-French-British attack on Syria.

The French deemed the overfly was conducted at an alarmingly low attitude and tried to complain to the Russians who did not bother picking up the phone:

“The flight took place several days ago,” a French naval source said, adding that France had contacted Russian authorities over the matter. “Passes by military aircraft over warships are things that happen at sea. When it is deemed too close, the opposing party is notified,” the source said. The Russian air force has already carried out such “aggressive” flights over Western warships in the past. In April 2016 two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea, so low they created wake in the water. Phone calls to the Russian defence ministry in Moscow were not answered after business hours on Tuesday.

Meanwhile Russian jets over Syria are being spotted carrying anti-ship missiles:

A Russian Su-34 fighter jet armed with what looks like Kh-35 cruise anti-ship missiles has just been spotted over the Syrian city of Tartus. According to reports from local sources, this is not the only Russian jet armed with Kh-35 cruise missiles, which are now flying in this part of Syria and in eastern Mediterranean. The Kh-35U is a jet-launched version of the Kh-35 subsonic cruise anti-ship missile. It has a HE fragmentation shaped charge warhead and the operational range of at least 300km.

Indeed a real Russian strike on French or American ships would not take place at close range. Instead the Russians would fire weapons like the Kh-35 from afar. </s> PARIS - A Russian warplane this weekend flew over a French warship at low altitude in the eastern Mediterranean, a deliberate breach of international regulations, a French naval source said on Tuesday.

The incident, first reported by Le Point magazine, comes as tensions mount between Russia and Western nations following a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria on April 7. At least 60 people were killed in the attack, according to a Syrian relief agency.France, the United States and their allies are considering a coordinated military response after accusing the Russia-backed Syrian government of being behind the attack. Damascus and Moscow have denied a chemical attack took place.The weekly magazine said the Russian plane had flown over frigate Aquitaine over the weekend and was fully-armed.The Aquitaine is equipped with 16 cruise missiles and 16 surface-to-air missiles. It is currently operating off Lebanese shores alongside U.S. ships as part of France's contingent fighting Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq."The flight took place several days ago," a French naval source said, adding that France had contacted Russian authorities over the matter."Passes by military aircraft over warships are things that happen at sea. When it is deemed too close, the opposing party is notified," the source said.The Russian air force has already carried out such "aggressive" flights over Western warships in the past.In April 2016 two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea, so low they created wake in the water. Phone calls to the Russian defense ministry in Moscow were not answered after business hours on Tuesday. </s> PARIS: A Russian warplane this weekend flew over a French warship at low altitude in the eastern Mediterranean, a deliberate breach of international regulations, a French naval source said on Tuesday.

The incident, first reported by Le Point magazine, comes as tensions mount between Russia and Western nations following a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria on April 7. At least 60 people were killed in the attack, according to a Syrian relief agency.

France, the United States and their allies are considering a coordinated military response after accusing the Russia-backed Syrian government of being behind the attack. Damascus and Moscow have denied a chemical attack took place.

The weekly magazine said the Russian plane had flown over frigate Aquitaine over the weekend and was fully-armed.

The Aquitaine is equipped with 16 cruise missiles and 16 surface-to-air missiles. It is currently operating off Lebanese shores alongside U.S. ships as part of France's contingent fighting Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.

"The flight took place several days ago," a French naval source said, adding that France had contacted Russian authorities over the matter.

"Passes by military aircraft over warships are things that happen at sea. When it is deemed too close, the opposing party is notified," the source said.

The Russian air force has already carried out such "aggressive" flights over Western warships in the past.

In April 2016 two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea, so low they created wake in the water.

Phone calls to the Russian defence ministry in Moscow were not answered after business hours on Tuesday. </s> PARIS (Reuters) - A Russian warplane this weekend flew over a French warship at low altitude in the eastern Mediterranean, a deliberate breach of international regulations, a French naval source said on Tuesday.

The incident, first reported by Le Point magazine, comes as tensions mount between Russia and Western nations following a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria on April 7. At least 60 people were killed in the attack, according to a Syrian relief agency.

France, the United States and their allies are considering a coordinated military response after accusing the Russia-backed Syrian government of being behind the attack. Damascus and Moscow have denied a chemical attack took place.

The weekly magazine said the Russian plane had flown over frigate Aquitaine over the weekend and was fully-armed.

The Aquitaine is equipped with 16 cruise missiles and 16 surface-to-air missiles. It is currently operating off Lebanese shores alongside U.S. ships as part of France’s contingent fighting Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.

“The flight took place several days ago,” a French naval source said, adding that France had contacted Russian authorities over the matter.

“Passes by military aircraft over warships are things that happen at sea. When it is deemed too close, the opposing party is notified,” the source said.

The Russian air force has already carried out such “aggressive” flights over Western warships in the past.

In April 2016 two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea, so low they created wake in the water.

Phone calls to the Russian defence ministry in Moscow were not answered after business hours on Tuesday. </s> PARIS (Reuters) - France will keep troops in northern Syria for now because Islamic State militants have not been wiped out, contrary to the U.S. view, and has started talks with the United States on the conditions and calendar of its withdrawal, officials said.

FILE PHOTO: French Defence Minister Florence Parly visits Euronaval, the world naval defence exhibition in Le Bourget near Paris, France, October 23, 2018. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo

France is a leading member of the U.S.-led coalition fighting militants in Syria and Iraq and has special forces based in the north of the country, deployed alongside Kurdish and Arab forces, and carries out air strikes against the group.

A French presidency source told reporters members of the Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a U.S. partner in the area, would be in Paris on Friday to hold talks with officials over the move.

“He (Trump) is cutting corners, risking a serious accident ... the coalition’s spine is the United States,” the source said.

France is especially sensitive to the Islamic State threat after several major deadly attacks on its soil and officials believe the militant group continues to pose a threat. Hundreds of French nationals have joined the group in Syria.

President Emmanuel Macron spoke to President Donald Trump on Tuesday after learning in advance of Trump’s intentions, to try convince him not to pull out, as was the case in April when Macron convinced him to stay engaged in Syria by citing the threat of Iran in the region, the source said.

French diplomats told Reuters on Wednesday that Trump’s decision to withdraw all 2,000 U.S. troops from the region had taken Paris by surprise. U.S. officials justified the decision by saying Islamic State had been defeated.

“Islamic State has not been wiped from the map nor have its roots. The last pockets of this terrorist organization must be defeated militarily once and for all,” Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Twitter..

Europe Minister Nathalie Loiseau told C-News television that for now French troops would stay.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Paris and its coalition allies had started talks with Washington on the timeframe and conditions for the U.S withdrawal.

“The protection of the populations of northeastern Syria and the stability of this zone must be taken into account by the United States to avoid any new humanitarian drama and any return of the terrorists,” it said.

It said Paris would be careful to ensure the security of all the U.S. partners in the area, including the SDF, who fear an assault from Turkey.

“We’re used to it now with the Trump administration. The devil is in the detail,” a French diplomat said. </s> PARIS (Reuters) - A Russian warplane this weekend flew over a French warship at low altitude in the eastern Mediterranean, a deliberate breach of international regulations, a French naval source said on Tuesday.

The incident, first reported by Le Point magazine, comes as tensions mount between Russia and Western nations following a suspected chemical weapons attack in Syria on April 7. At least 60 people were killed in the attack, according to a Syrian relief agency.

France, the United States and their allies are considering a coordinated military response after accusing the Russia-backed Syrian government of being behind the attack. Damascus and Moscow have denied a chemical attack took place.

The weekly magazine said the Russian plane had flown over frigate Aquitaine over the weekend and was fully-armed.

The Aquitaine is equipped with 16 cruise missiles and 16 surface-to-air missiles. It is currently operating off Lebanese shores alongside U.S. ships as part of France's contingent fighting Islamic State militants in Syria and Iraq.

"The flight took place several days ago," a French naval source said, adding that France had contacted Russian authorities over the matter.

"Passes by military aircraft over warships are things that happen at sea. When it is deemed too close, the opposing party is notified," the source said.

The Russian air force has already carried out such "aggressive" flights over Western warships in the past.

In April 2016 two Russian warplanes flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea, so low they created wake in the water.

Phone calls to the Russian defence ministry in Moscow were not answered after business hours on Tuesday.
France conducts airstrikes against ISIL positions in Iraq from the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle.