Russian Federation bombards Raqqa, ISIS headquarters in Syria

Activists say a new wave of airstrikes have struck the northern Syrian city of Raqqa the de facto capital of the Islamic State group.

Isis claimed responsibility for Friday's attacks in Paris, saying it had targeted France because of its role in the coalition carrying out airstrikes in Syria and describing it as a haven for "crusaders". The fighters are hiding in civilian neighborhoods and preventing anyone from fleeing, activists said. It said the strikes hit two Islamic State centers in Raqqa and an area where Kayla Mueller, a US hostage, had been held before being killed earlier this year.

The activist also said that nobody in Raqqa approves of Islamic State group, but that many refuse to leave their homes and face the same fate at sea or in Europe as many others have.

French warplanes carried out almost 30 raids which hit several city districts and their surroundings, activists said.

France has the "legitimacy" to act against ISIS following the terror attacks in Paris Friday, said French foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, who explained last night, on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Turkey, that the decision to carry out air raids on Raqqa was a "political" one. Shortly afterward, IS banned people leaving the city and activists said it has stepped up enforcement of the ban in the past few days, leading to fears the group intends to use civilians as human shields in future fighting.

"The blasts shook the entire city".

There are signs Islamic State has been planning for impending attacks. Russian warplanes also fired cruise missiles on militant positions in Syria's Idlib and Aleppo provinces. Movement in the city has been further restricted since the French strikes. "There were strikes on both the north and south of Raqqa", he said. In fact, most refugees heading to Europe are from Raqqa. But a campaign on Raqqa by the under-armed forces would be costly, even with an intensified air campaign, he said.