France to deploy aircraft carrier to help operations against IS

The carrier is usually accompanied by an attack submarine, several frigates, refueling ships, as well as fighter jets and surveillance aircraft.

"The aircraft carrier will enable us to be more efficient in coordination with our allies," Hollande said at the inauguration of the new defense ministry headquarters in Paris

French warplanes struck their first targets in Syria at the end of September. It was the first country to join the US-led coalition in Iraq and has also provided limited logistical support to Syrian rebels it considers moderate, including Kurds.

A meeting on November 5 of France's defense cabinet, which includes key ministers and officials from the intelligence services and military, aimed to outline how France will proceed over the next months in Syria and Iraq on both a political and military level.

France has also been one of the main backers of the National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, one of the main parties in international discussions to end the four-year-old civil war.