France has deployed Dassault Rafale fighter jets over the United Arab Emirates to safeguard its naval and air force installations amid rising Iranian drone activity, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot confirmed on Tuesday.
France maintains hundreds of military personnel in the UAE across its navy, air force and army units. Its Rafale fighter aircraft are stationed at Al Dhafra Air Base near Abu Dhabi.
“These Rafales and their pilots are mobilised to ensure the security of our facilities,” Barrot told BFMTV when asked about French operations in the UAE over the weekend to counter Iranian drones.
“They have carried out operations to secure the airspace above our bases.”
According to Barrot, “a hangar at a French base in the United Arab Emirates was hit by a drone” on Sunday, underscoring the growing security risks in the region.
“Exchanges are multiplying to determine both how the country can defend itself against future attacks and how France can protect its interests there,” he added.
The deployment follows coordinated strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, which reportedly resulted in the death of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
In retaliation, Iran has targeted US allies across the Gulf, warning that it could disrupt global energy supplies, a move that analysts say could significantly impact international markets.
On Monday, a drone hit a fuel tank terminal in Abu Dhabi, sparking a fire, though authorities said operations were not affected.
Meanwhile, technology giant Amazon disclosed that two of its data centres in the UAE were “directly struck” by drones, leading to temporary disruptions of cloud services in parts of the Middle East.
The latest developments highlight the expanding scope of hostilities in the Gulf region, with foreign military installations and commercial infrastructure increasingly caught in the crossfire.
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