French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday ordered France’s nuclear-powered aircraft carrier to be moved from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to help protect allied assets during the ongoing war in the Middle East.
Macron said Charles de Gaulle would be escorted by its air wing and its escort warships.
In a pre-recorded speech broadcast on French TV, Macron added that Rafale fighter jets, air defense systems and airborne radar systems had been deployed in the Middle East in the past few hours.
“And we will continue this effort as long as necessary,” Macron said.
He was referring to Monday’s strike on a British airbase in Cyprus, a member state of the European Union with which France recently signed a strategic partnership.
“It needs our support. That is why I have decided to send additional air defense assets with the French frigate, Languedoc, which will be off the coast of Cyprus this evening,” Macron said.
France, the UK and Germany have previously said they are not involved in an attack on Iran, but are ready to activate necessary and proportionate countermeasures to destroy Iran’s ability to launch missiles and drones.
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Macron said France has defense agreements binding the EU nation to Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, and strong commitments to Jordan and Iraq.
Noting that the war had spread to Lebanon, Macron said the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah had made a “serious mistake of hitting Israel” and putting the Lebanese people at risk but warned against launching an Israeli ground operation.
UK, France, Greece send warships
Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letimbiotis said France informed Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides early Tuesday of plans to send additional military assets.
Britain said it would deploy the Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon and two Wildcat helicopters armed with Martlet missiles to bolster defenses in the eastern Mediterranean.
The destroyer, fitted with the Sea Viper missile system, will enhance Britain’s ability to detect, track and destroy aerial threats, including drones, the Ministry of Defense said.
It said the deployment comes after British forces shot down multiple drones in the region in the past 24 hours, including RAF F-35B jets that engaged Iranian drones over Jordan for the first time.
Greece sent four F-16 fighter jets and two frigates, including a Centauros anti-drone jamming system that had previously been used against Yemen’s Houthi attacks. Centaurs can detect and disable low-flying drones, even those hugging the terrain or skimming the ocean surface.
“Greece is present and will continue to assist in any way possible in the defense of the Republic of Cyprus,” Greek Defense Minister Nikos Dendias said during a visit to Nicosia.
British Prime Minister Keir Stormer said at X that London was “absolutely committed to the security of Cyprus and British personnel”, adding that he had spoken to Christodoulides about the move.
In Paris, the French armed forces said they were monitoring developments and working in coordination with regional partners under existing defense agreements.
-With additional files from Reuters
© 2026 The Canadian Press
(tags to translate)Iran
