France has deployed Rafale fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates to safeguard its military installations amid escalating tensions in the Gulf region.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed on Tuesday that the aircraft have been mobilised to protect France’s naval and air bases in the UAE from potential Iranian attacks. France maintains hundreds of military personnel in the country, with Rafale jets stationed at the Dhafra air base near Abu Dhabi.
Speaking to BFMTV, Barrot said the fighter jets and their crews had been deployed to secure the airspace over French facilities. He disclosed that a drone struck a hangar at one of the French bases on Sunday, heightening security concerns.
He added that discussions were ongoing to strengthen defence measures and ensure France’s strategic interests in the region remain protected against further threats.
The development follows weekend strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, which reportedly killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei. Tehran has since launched retaliatory drone and missile attacks targeting US allies in the Gulf, warning of actions that could disrupt global energy markets.
In Abu Dhabi, a drone hit a fuel tank terminal on Monday, sparking a fire, though authorities said operations were not affected. Meanwhile, US tech giant Amazon confirmed that two of its data centres in the UAE were directly struck by drones, leading to temporary disruptions in cloud services across parts of the Middle East.
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