France's president said today the country will send reconnaissance planes over Syria beginning Tuesday to help in the fight against the Islamic State group.

President Francois Hollande said terror attacks have been planned from Syria against several countries, including France. He said his responsibility is to be better informed about the threats, and he ruled out ground operations.

Hollande spoke Monday in a wide-ranging news conference. He said coping with the flow of refugees also requires addressing the problem of terrorism and the reconnaissance flights will help inform airstrikes against the Islamic State group.

According to other reports, the reconnaissance flights could be a precursor to air strikes. 

In the meantime, Mr Hollande also said his country will welcome 24,000 refugees. He said taking in those fleeing war is a duty that France is ready to shoulder. He said he and German Chancellor Angela Merkel had agreed upon a mechanism to distribute refugees across Europe.