During a press briefing held Monday in the French capital, Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that France offers its full support to the countries targeted by Iranian missiles and drones. According to him, several states were directly struck, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Iraq and Jordan.
The French foreign minister indicated that Paris is ready to take part in their defense, although he did not specify the exact nature of this possible military contribution.
Jean-Noël Barrot also noted that nearly 400,000 French citizens currently live or stay in about a dozen Middle Eastern countries. At this stage, no French nationals have reportedly been affected by the recent events. French authorities are nevertheless working with their diplomatic missions to prepare possible evacuation or land exit arrangements when security conditions allow, even though this option remains difficult in certain areas.
Regarding the situation in Lebanon, the minister strongly criticized Hezbollah’s involvement in the current tensions, saying the movement had made “a serious mistake” by taking part in a conflict that, according to him, does not correspond to the interests or the will of the Lebanese people. He called on the organization to immediately halt its military operations, as the clashes have already caused numerous casualties and displaced thousands of civilians.
In an increasingly volatile regional climate, France reaffirmed its support for its Gulf partners while urging the international community to act to prevent an escalation that could drag the entire Middle East into a much larger conflict.
Editorial team/le7tv