France Requests EU Invoke Mutual Defense Clause in Wake of the Paris Attacks

France demanded on Tuesday that the European Union invoke the mutual-defense clause in wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris that have killed at least 129 people. This is the first time that a nation of the 28-member union has asked for this clause, which is from article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union.

The clause states per USA TODAY: "If a member state is the victim of armed aggression on its territory, the other member states shall have toward it an obligation of aid and assistance by all the means in their power."

France's defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, argued in Brussels, Belgium that other members of the EU should aid France "either by taking part in France's operations in Syria or Iraq, or by easing the load or providing support for France in other operations."

The demand was received with support. However, it is unclear how the other members of the EU will be helping France, who launched another set of airstrikes on Tuesday against targets in Syria that are believed to be tied to the Islamic State, which is also known as ISIL or ISIS. Col. Gilles Jaron, a spokesman for the French military, stated that a command post and training center were destroyed.

France bombed several sites in Raqqa, Syria on Sunday. These sites were believed to be tied to ISIS, the terrorist group that claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks.

According to an independent group known as Raqqa Is Being Slaughtered Silently, reported that no civilians were killed during these airstrikes. This report has not been confirmed.

France is currently investigating how the attacks were planned and carried out. They have also conducted at least 120 anti-terrorism raids within France overnight, bringing the total number of raids in France and Belgium to nearly 300.

"The level of cooperation could not be higher," the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, said after having a meeting with the French president, François Hollande. "We agreed to exchange more information and I'm convinced that over the course of the next weeks, Daesh will feel greater pressure. They are feeling it today. They felt it yesterday. They felt it in the past weeks."

Kerry added, using the Arabic word for the Islamic state, "We gained more territory. Daesh has less territory."

Hollande will be travelling to Washington next week to meet with President Barack Obama.