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French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday ordered a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier from the Baltic Sea to the Mediterranean to help protect allied assets as war in the Middle East showed no signs of de-escalating. Macron also noted that France has defence agreements with several Gulf states as well as commitments to Jordan and Iraq.
By: FRANCE 24 An aerial photograph shows the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off the coast of Toulon in southern France on June 5, 2021. © Nicolas Tucat, AFP France, the UK and Germany were not involved in the US-Israeli strikes on Iran that began late last week but have said they were prepared to take defensive action to destroy Iran’s capability to fire missiles and drones.
President Emmanuel Macron said in a pre-recorded speech on French TV on Tuesday that French forces had shot down drones “in legitimate self-defense in the very first hours of the conflict to defend the airspace of our allies, who know they can rely on us”. He did not elaborate.
Macron added that Rafale fighter jets, air-defence systems and airborne radar systems hadbeen deployed over the past few hours in the Middle East.
“And we will continue this effort as much as necessary,” Macron said.
In explaining the decision to move France's aircraft carrier, Macron cited a drone that damaged the runway of a British air force base on Cyprus, noting that Cyprus was a European Union member and that France had recently signed a strategic partnership with the island nation.
The Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier will be escorted by frigates and its air wing, Macron added.
Read moreMacron says France is sending its aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean
Macron also noted that France has defence agreements binding the EU nation to Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates, as well as strong commitments to Jordan and Iraq.
Noting that the war had spread to Lebanon, Macron said the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group made “the grave mistake of striking Israel” and putting the Lebanese people in danger but warned against Israel launching a ground operation.
“This, too, would be a dangerous escalation and a strategic error,” he said. “Hezbollah must imperatively cease all strikes, and I call on Israel to respect Lebanese territory and its integrity.”
Underscoring France's traditional support for the rules‑based international order, Macron noted that France “cannot approve” of the US-Israeli on Iran because they were carried outside of the framework of “international law”.
He said the strikes should end as quickly as possible and that lasting peace in the region can only be achieved through the resumption of diplomatic negotiations.
“That said, history never weeps for the executioners of their own people, and none of them will be mourned,” he said in reference to the killings of Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other Iran top officials.
Macron also expressed his wish that Iranians might now have an opportunity to establish a government that better reflects the will of the people.
“I also wish to express the hope that the Iranian people may themselves freely decide their own destiny,” he said.
Macron also underscored Iran's own responsibility for the conflict.
“It is Iran that developed a dangerous nuclear programme and unprecedented ballistic capabilities, that armed and financed terrorist groups in neighbouring countries – Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, Shiite militias in Iraq – and that supported Hamas, while always affirming its objective of destroying the State of Israel,” he noted.
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