France Deploys Amphibious Helicopter Carrier to the Mediterranean
France has deployed the amphibious helicopter carrier Tonnerre to the Mediterranean Sea in response to the conflict in the Middle East. The vessel will join the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle, which had previously been in the region after operating in the Baltic Sea.
‘A amphibious helicopter carrier has been deployed in the Mediterranean to bolster the French armed forces’ presence amid the Middle East crisis,’ a spokesman for the French defence ministry told Al Arabiya and AFP on Saturday, 7 March 2026.
Earlier, a similar vessel was sent off the coast of Lebanon as a precaution to assist with repatriation if needed during the 2024 war between Israel and the Lebanon-based militant group Hizboll ah.
Previously, France had also deployed Rafale fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to protect its naval and air bases from attacks by Iran.
France has hundreds of naval, air and ground personnel based in the UAE. Its Rafale aircraft are stationed at Al-Dhafra, near Abu Dhabi.
‘Rafale and its pilots have been mobilised to secure the security of our facilities,’ French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told the BFMTV channel in response to questions about France’s actions in the UAE on Saturday (28 February) to neutralise Iranian drones. ‘They have carried out operations to safeguard airspace above our bases,’ he added.
It is known that the United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday (28 February), killing Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Iran has responded to the strikes by targeting US allies in the Gulf region.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi, in an interview with France 24, warned European countries they could become ‘legitimate targets’ if they join the US and Israel in the war against Iran. ‘We have told European countries and others to be careful not to become involved in aggressive war against Iran,’ Takht-Ravanchi told TRT World.
The official stressed that any country taking part in a military campaign against Iran would face retaliation from Tehran.