France may send its "expeditionary force" to Syria in order to retaliate against ISIS, according to the US-based intelligence firm Stratfor; the group has claimed responsibility for Friday's terrorist attacks in Paris, which claimed at least 129 lives. Analysts from the private intelligence company Stratfor believe that France may send its "expeditionary force" to Syria or Iraq in response to the deadly Paris attacks that rocked the French capital on Friday night. They claimed that France has a whole array of options for retaliation "at its disposal", but that the country's response will depend on "who was ultimately responsible" for the Friday attacks. "If it is found that the Islamic State core group was indeed behind the November 13 attack, France will likely ramp up its Syrian air operations," Stratfor said. At the same time, Stratfor analysts recalled that "the skies over Syria are already congested with coalition and Russian aircraft," which is why France may intensify its military operation against the Islamic State group in Iraq or other countries, including in Libya, according to Stratfor. In light of this, Stratfor analysts predicted that France may increase its programs to train and support anti-Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria, or even to carry out "commando strikes against key leadership nodes." "France also has the option of deploying an expeditionary force like it did in the Sahel [region of Africa], although that would probably require outside airlift capacity from NATO allies, especially the United States," Stratfor pointed out. On Friday night, eight extremists wearing explosive belts attacked several venues across Paris, killing 129 people at restaurants, the Bataclan concert hall and in the vicinity of the Stade de France stadium. Meanwhile, media reports have said that the names of at least three suicide bombers involved in the Paris attacks have already been revealed. They include 29-year-old French national Omar Ismail Mostefai, 25-year-old Ahmed Almuhamed and another man, born in 1990 and identified only as Abbdulakbak B.
