France to deploy warships and weigh Hormuz mission, says Macron

Shafaq News- Paphos

France is deploying about a dozen naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and potentially the Strait of Hormuz as part of defensive support to allies threatened by the conflict in the Middle East, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Monday.

Speaking in Cyprus before visiting the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which arrived this weekend in the eastern Mediterranean, 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," Macron noted after meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Paphos, adding, "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.”

He added that, ultimately, “France aims to guarantee freedom of navigation and maritime security.”

The European Union's main naval activities in the region centre on Aspides - Shields in Greek - a Red Sea naval mission launched in early 2024 to guard vessels from attack by Yemen’s Ansarullah (Houthis) during their supporting actions to Hamas Movement in Gaza amid the ongoing conflict with Israel.