French strike hits IS oil facility in Syria: French defence minister

The French army on Sunday bombed an oil supply centre held by the Islamic State group in eastern Syria, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian announced Monday.

"We intervened in Syria... yesterday evening with a strike on an oil supply centre near Deir Ezzor on the border between Iraq and Syria," Le Drian told journalists on the sidelines of a forum on African peace and security in Dakar, Senegal.

It was France's third wave of strikes in Syria since President Francois Hollande decided in September to join the campaign there against IS.

The two previous waves targeted training camps for foreign jihadists who were suspected of preparing attacks in France.

Hollande on Thursday said operations would be expanded to include "all those sites from which terrorists could threaten our territory".

The president also said France would deploy its nuclear-powered aircraft carrier -- the flagship of the French navy -- to boost operations against IS in Syria and Iraq.