France Sends Fighter Jets to UAE to Safeguard Its Military Bases

France has deployed Dassault Rafale fighter jets to the United Arab Emirates aimed at protecting its military installations from potential Iranian assaults, as stated by Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Tuesday, March 3.

The French military maintains a strong presence in the UAE, including hundreds of personnel from the navy, air force, and army, with Rafale jets stationed at Al-Dhafra air base located close to Abu Dhabi. Barrot confirmed, "These Rafales and their pilots have been mobilised to ensure the security of our facilities," in response to queries regarding recent French operations targeting Iranian drones over the weekend. "They have conducted missions to secure the airspace over our bases."

Additionally, Barrot revealed that a drone strike targeted a hangar at a French military base in the UAE on Sunday. He noted that discussions are underway to enhance the country’s defensive strategies against potential future assaults and how France might safeguard its interests in the region.

Barrot further clarified that the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle is currently in the North Atlantic participating in a planned multinational exercise, affirming, "To the best of my knowledge, it has not changed course."

This military deployment follows recent strikes by the United States and Israel against Iran on Saturday, March 1, which resulted in the death of Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. In retaliation, Tehran has reportedly targeted U.S. allies and military facilities throughout the Gulf region.

In a related incident, authorities in the UAE reported that debris from a drone interception caused a fire at an oil zone in Fujairah on Tuesday, but this fire has since been controlled. In another event, a drone struck a fuel tank terminal in Abu Dhabi on Monday, igniting a fire, though it did not disrupt ongoing operations.

Technology giant Amazon announced late Monday that two of its data centers in the UAE were directly impacted by drone strikes, which caused interruptions to cloud services in various parts of the Middle East. As military activities escalate in the region, European nations are reinforcing security measures to protect their personnel and assets in the Gulf.