France has flown Rafale jets over the UAE to protect its bases following drone attacks. Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Rafales based at Dhafra have been mobilised to secure airspace after a hangar was struck. The move follows wider regional strikes and retaliatory attacks, and comes amid reports of damage to Gulf energy and tech infrastructure — including a fuel terminal fire in Abu Dhabi and Amazon reporting damage to two UAE data centres. Claims about deaths of senior Iranian leaders remain unverified.
France Deploys Rafale Jets Over UAE to Protect Bases Amid Drone Attacks
A French Rafale fighter jet takes off for an exercise at the Dhafra airbase in the United Arab Emirates in December (Ludovic MARIN)(Ludovic MARIN/AFP/AFP)
France has deployed Rafale fighter jets above the United Arab Emirates to protect its naval and air bases from a wave of drone strikes and regional escalation, Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday. Hundreds of French navy, air force and army personnel are stationed in the UAE, with Rafale aircraft based at the Dhafra air base near Abu Dhabi.
"These Rafales and their pilots are mobilised to ensure the security of our facilities,"Barrot told BFMTV, describing operations carried out to secure the airspace above French bases and to neutralise hostile drones.
Barrot said a hangar at a French base in the UAE was struck by a drone on Sunday. French authorities are intensifying consultations with UAE partners to determine how best to defend facilities against future attacks and to protect French interests in the region.
Regional Context
The incidents come amid wider regional tensions. Media reports described strikes attributed to the United States and Israel against targets in Iran; some outlets also published unverified claims concerning Iran's leadership. Those claims remain unconfirmed and are contradicted by official statements. Iran has responded with attacks against Gulf partners and warned that its actions could push up energy prices, threatening broader economic disruption.
In Abu Dhabi, a drone strike hit a fuel-tank terminal on Monday, causing a fire though terminal operators reported that core operations were not affected. Tech company Amazon said late Monday that two of its UAE data centres were "directly struck" by drones, disrupting cloud services in parts of the Middle East.
French officials say they will continue defensive flights and coordination with local and international partners while monitoring the security situation closely.
Help us improve.
