France is Deploying Dozen Naval Vessels to the Mediterranean, President Says

NBC News

French President Emmanuel Macron.

France is deploying around a dozen naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean, the Red Sea, and potentially the Strait of Hormuz as part of defensive support for allies threatened by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.

Speaking in Cyprus ahead of a visit to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which arrived in the eastern Mediterranean this weekend, French President Emmanuel Macron sought to reassure his Cypriot counterpart after drones were intercepted heading towards the island last week.

"When Cyprus is attacked, then Europe is attacked," President Macron said ⁠after meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Paphos.

"Our objective is to maintain a strictly defensive stance, standing alongside all countries attacked by Iran in its retaliation, to ensure our credibility, and to contribute to regional de-escalation. Ultimately, we aim to guarantee freedom of navigation and maritime security," President Macron said.

"I will also add my voice to the rest of my European colleagues to reinforce the Aspides operation with more vessels," President Mitsotakis said.

"There are few of us ⁠who are participating, but here too we will need to demonstrate our European solidarity more practically."

The European Union’s main naval activity in the region centres on Aspides — ‘Shields’ in Greek — a Red Sea naval mission launched in early 2024 to protect vessels from attacks by Houthi militants, who support the Palestinian militant group Hamas in its conflict with Israel.

President Macron, whose navy already contributes one warship to the mission, said the number would increase to two. Overall, France will deploy eight warships to the region, including the aircraft carrier strike group and two helicopter carriers.

Macron added that the deployment could also extend to the Strait of Hormuz in order to support and protect commercial shipping.

"We are in the process of setting up a purely defensive, purely escort mission, which must be prepared together with both ⁠European and non-European states, and whose purpose is to enable, as soon as possible after the most intense phase of the conflict has ended, the escort of container ships and tankers to gradually reopen the Strait of Hormuz," President Macron said.

Source: Reuters



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