PARIS -- France's armed forces said on Monday that they have launched a drone strike targeting terrorists in Mali, the first-ever operation of its kind.

In a statement released on Monday, the armed forces said that the drone attack was carried out over the weekend in which seven terrorists were killed 150 km from the town of Mopti, it added.

"This is the first operational strike by an armed drone," the statement said.

On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the French forces have "neutralized" 33 terrorists in the central Malian region of Mopti.

France has a 4,500-strong force fighting jihadists in the Sahel region since 2013.