Police forces mounted a pre-dawn raid on an apartment block located in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, north of the capital.
The man believed to be the mastermind of the recent Paris attacks, 27-year-old Abdelhamid Abaaoud, was the target of the raid.
A violent shootout ensued, and two terror suspects were killed; one woman blew herself up using an explosive belt, and a second suspect was shot dead by a sniper.
Up to six suspects were believed to be holed up in the apartment. So far, three men have been removed from the premises by police forces.
Abdeslam Salah, who is the target of an international arrest warrant after last Friday’s deadly attacks, is also beieved to be involved in today’s shootout.
Local residents reported heavy gunfire and explosions at the time of the raid.