France is deploying nearly a dozen military ships, including its carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean Sea, the Red Sea, and possibly the Strait of Hormuz, as part of the defensive support provided to allies threatened by the conflict in the Middle East.
“The French presence, which will unfold from the eastern Mediterranean to the Red Sea and (…) off the coast of Hormuz, will mobilize eight frigates, two amphibious helicopter carriers and our aircraft carrier,” Emmanuel Macron announced in Cyprus. “It is, of course, in conjunction with the mobilization of our air and ground forces in the region,” the French head of state specified, according to News.
Two of the frigates will be deployed as part of the European Union’s Aspides naval mission in the Red Sea, French President Emmanuel Macron clarified on Monday. “We are in the process of organizing a purely defensive, purely escort mission, which must be prepared together with European and non-European states,” Macron said after a meeting in Cyprus with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. He did not provide further details.
“France’s desire is to contribute to the de-escalation of the conflict, to the safety of our citizens, to the safety of our partners, and to this free navigation and maritime safety,” the French head of state emphasized.
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