Direct proof of use
Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve reported in May 2019 that French Rafales were engaged daily for the coalition in Iraq and Syria, flying day and night in support of Operation Inherent Resolve. The same report says Rafale pilots contributed overwatch, information missions, close air support, and air strikes against Daesh.
The report describes an April 4 strike in Iraq in which two Rafales, coordinated through the Combined Air Operations Center and Iraqi security forces, destroyed Daesh tunnels after a five-hour mission that required three aerial refuelings.
Sources: French Rafale Support Iraqi Forces
Opening strike and campaign role
France's first documented Rafale strike in the conflict came on September 19, 2014. The Guardian, citing statements from President Francois Hollande's office and the French defense ministry, reported that at least two Rafale aircraft attacked Islamic State positions in northeastern Iraq after Baghdad requested air support.
That first strike targeted a logistics center near Tall Mouss in the Zoumar sector. The report said the destroyed building contained vehicles, weapons, and fuel, and that the mission followed French reconnaissance flights and was coordinated with Iraqi authorities and regional allies.
Sources: France Bombs Isis Depot in Iraq
Operation Chammal deployment
The French Ministry of the Armed Forces describes Operation Chammal, launched on September 19, 2014, as France's contribution to Operation Inherent Resolve. Its Chammal overview says the operation supports Iraqi forces fighting Daesh and that French forces are integrated into the coalition.
The same overview lists 10 French Air and Space Force Rafales on air bases in the Levant and the United Arab Emirates, supplemented by airborne command and refueling aircraft. It also says the carrier Charles de Gaulle's air group reinforced the air campaign eight times between January 2015 and December 2022, contributing roughly 20 Rafale-M fighters and two E-2C Hawkeye aircraft.
Sources: Operation Chammal Overview
Later Rafale missions
French defense reporting from March 2022 says two-seat Rafales from Saint-Dizier relieved single-seat Rafales from Mont-de-Marsan at the deployed air base in the Levant after several months of Operation Chammal missions for Operation Inherent Resolve. The article says the Rafales supported local forces against Daesh in Iraq and Syria through intelligence and reconnaissance missions.
A March 2024 French defense report describes a further Rafale rotation at the Levant base. It says Rafale C aircraft had carried out 128 air missions and 657 flight hours during that mandate, including airspace defense and surveillance missions, before being relieved by Rafale B aircraft.
Sources: Rafale Two-Seat Arrival in the Levant, Rafale C Mission End in the Levant
