France is a key member of the US-led coalition that is carrying out air strikes on IS positions in Iraq and Syria. The aerial campaign was stepped up after the deadly attacks claimed by IS in Paris in November last year. Bombing raids have increasingly focused on IS's oil infrastructure, which provides a key part of the jihadists' funding.
Two other jets took off from the Jordanian base Friday morning to serve as aerial support for Kurdish peshmerga forces battling IS around Sinjar, the northern Iraqi town that was cleared of the jihadists in November, the military source said. They returned after five hours to accompany Le Drian's plane as it landed in Jordan, the source added. The name of the base, where six Mirage fighter jets are stationed, is not being disclosed at the request of authorities in Amman.