President Emmanuel Macron has ordered the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its strike group to the Eastern Mediterranean, following an emergency session at the Élysée Palace to address the “dangerous escalation” of the war between Iran, Israel, and the United States.
Speaking on Tuesday, Macron confirmed that France will deploy advanced anti-missile and anti-drone systems to the Republic of Cyprus to bolster the island’s security after Monday’s drone strikes on RAF Akrotiri.
“Faced with this unstable situation and the uncertainties of the coming days, I have ordered the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, its air assets, and its frigate escort to set sail for the Mediterranean,” he said.
The French leader, who held urgent consultations with President Nikos Christodoulides and leaders from Lebanon, Qatar, and the UAE, warned that a potential Israeli land operation would constitute a “strategic error” and cautioned that the conflict is now “spreading in the region” with grave consequences for global peace.
Je remercie chaleureusement le Président Emmanuel Macron @EmmanuelMacron pour le soutien concret et profondément apprécié apporté par la France à Chypre.
— NikosChristodoulides (@Christodulides) March 3, 2026
La Chypre et la France sont liées par un partenariat stratégique solide et durable. En ces temps de crise, ce partenariat se… pic.twitter.com/i0dhbS5uc8
Macron aimed to distance Paris from the recent military actions taken by the US and Israel against Iran, stating that France “cannot approve” of the current trajectory of the campaign. Instead, the Élysée is prioritising “non-combatant evacuation operations,” with the first two flights carrying French citizens from the conflict zone scheduled to land in Paris this evening.
In Nicosia, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis confirmed that the French aid was finalised early on Tuesday, noting that Germany has also provided an “initially positive” response to requests for further air defence support.
(With information from Reuters)
Read more:
