France is sending its flagship aircraft carrier, the Charles de Gaulle, to the Mediterranean in response to the escalating conflict in the Middle East, President Emmanuel Macron announced Tuesday.
“I have ordered the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, its air assets, and its escort of frigates to set course for the Mediterranean,” Macron said in a televised speech, following his warning a day earlier about the risk of the conflict spilling over Europe’s borders.
The Charles de Gaulle has been redirected from its North Atlantic deployment to the eastern Mediterranean, making a stopover in the Swedish port of Malmo last week. Macron also confirmed additional air defence units are being sent to Cyprus after Iranian-made drones targeted the British Royal Air Force (RAF) base of Akrotiri on the Mediterranean island.
“In addition to assets already in place, Rafale jets, air-defence systems and airborne radar aircraft have been deployed in recent hours,” he said. The frigate Languedoc and “additional air defence assets” are expected to arrive off Cyprus on Tuesday, as tensions rise following U.S. and Israeli attacks on Iran on Saturday. Britain has similarly positioned a warship off Cyprus.
Macron criticized the military actions by the United States and Israel, stating: “The United States of America and Israel decided to launch military operations, conducted outside international law, which we cannot approve of.” He also stressed Iran’s responsibility for the situation, noting the country’s “dangerous” nuclear programme, support for regional proxies, and orders to shoot “its own people” during protests in January.
Iran has responded by targeting Gulf states, Israel, and U.S. facilities across the Middle East, while also threatening shipping routes.
France Bolsters Mediterranean Forces Amid Iran Tensions
The Charles de Gaulle is expected to take 10 days to reach the eastern Mediterranean. Once there, the 20 Rafale fighter jets on board, together with two Hawkeye radar aircraft, will help secure the airspace.
“Today, the Strait of Hormuz is effectively closed. Around 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas passes through this strait,” Macron said. “The Suez Canal and the Red Sea are also under strain and under threat.” He added: “We have taken the initiative to build a coalition in order to pool the necessary resources, including military ones, so that traffic can be restored and secured in these sea lanes that are essential to the global economy.”
Macron confirmed that French forces had shot down drones “in self-defence” during the early hours of the conflict. “We reacted immediately and shot down drones in self-defence in the early hours of the conflict to defend the airspace of our allies, who know they can count on us,” he said, referring to defence agreements with Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates.
The frigate Languedoc previously used its Aster missiles to intercept drones fired from Yemen by Iran-allied Huthi rebels targeting vessels in the Red Sea in December 2023.
Earlier, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot revealed that France had deployed Rafale fighter jets over the UAE to protect its naval and air bases. France currently maintains 700 troops with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, and 900 military personnel at air, naval, and land bases in the UAE, including Rafales, Leclerc tanks, and Caesar artillery. Rafale aircraft are stationed at Al-Dhafra base near Abu Dhabi.
“These Rafales and their pilots are mobilised to ensure the security of our facilities,” Barrot told BFMTV regarding French action over the weekend to neutralize Iranian drones. He added that a hangar at a French base in the UAE was “hit by a drone” on Sunday.
Macron also noted that two French bases had sustained “limited strikes causing material damage” since the start of the conflict.
AFP
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