France sends aircraft carrier to Mediterranean over Iran war

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday said France was sending an aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean in response to the widening conflict in the Middle East following US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
“I have ordered the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, its air assets, and its escort of frigates to set course for the Mediterranean,” he said in a televised speech a day after he warned of the risk of the conflict spilling over Europe’s borders.
Macron said he was also sending air defense capacities to Cyprus a day after Iranian-made drones hit the Mediterranean island’s British air base at Akrotiri.
“I have also decided to send additional air defense assets and a French frigate, the Languedoc, which will arrive off the coast of Cyprus this evening,” he said.
The United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Saturday, killing supreme leader Ali Khamenei.
Iran has responded by targeting US allies across the Middle East.
“The United States of America and Israel decided to launch military operations, conducted outside international law, which we cannot approve of,” said Macron.
But “the Islamic republic of Iran bears primary responsibility for this situation,” he said, because of its “dangerous” nuclear program, support for regional proxies, and orders to shoot “its own people” during protests in January.
Macron said French forces downed drones “in self-defense” during the opening hours of the conflict.
“We reacted immediately and shot down drones in self-defense 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 defense agreements with Qatar, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.