ALBAWABA- French president Emmanuel Macron announced Monday that France will expand its naval presence in the eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea, deploying the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier along with its strike group and up to a dozen additional warships.
The deployment, which includes frigates and helicopter carriers, could also extend to the Strait of Hormuz, according to French officials. Paris described the move as “strictly defensive,” aimed at protecting key maritime routes as regional tensions escalate.
The announcement comes amid the intensifying conflict involving the United States, Israel, and Iran, which erupted on February 28 following coordinated U.S.–Israeli strikes targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, military infrastructure, and senior leadership.
Tehran has since responded with large-scale missile and drone attacks against Israel, U.S. bases, and allied Gulf states, raising fears of broader disruption to global energy supplies and pushing oil prices above $110 per barrel.
During a March 4 phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, their first conversation since last summer, Macron urged restraint and warned against a ground offensive in Lebanon, stressing the importance of preserving the country’s territorial integrity amid concerns of escalation involving Hezbollah.
On Monday, Macron also visited Cyprus following recent Iranian drone strikes on the EU member state, including near a British military facility. “When Cyprus is attacked, it is Europe that is attacked,” he said, pledging additional French air defense support and naval deployments to strengthen the island’s security.
While France has maintained that it is not directly participating in military operations against Iran, Paris has expressed solidarity with regional partners including Jordan and Gulf states, offering defensive assistance under collective security frameworks.
French authorities have also permitted U.S. aircraft to refuel at French bases, provided they are not directly engaged in strikes on Iranian territory.
