ISIS militants are bracing themselves for a possible attack on their de facto capital of Raqqa, Syria, as international airstrikes intensify, the Associated Press reports.
Former residents say ISIS fighters are hiding in civilian neighborhoods and are preventing people from fleeing.
With Russian and French warplanes striking daily, the city’s people are afraid they will have nowhere to go — especially now as a ground invasion by U.S.-allied Kurdish and Arab forces looms, according to the Associated Press.
Iraqi intelligence told The Associated Press the operation was planned in Raqqa, where attackers were trained with the intention of going to France.
After ISIS claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris that killed at least 129 people, there have been calls for stronger action in Syria.
