France has authorized the use of its military bases in the Gulf by American warplanes, as reported by a spokesperson for the French army to the LCI television channel. "As part of our relationship with the United States, the presence of their aircraft has been temporarily authorized at our bases," said the spokesperson.
"These aircraft will contribute to the protection of our partners in the Gulf," the same military source specified, two days after President Emmanuel Macron's televised speech in which he emphasized that French military missions in the area will be "strictly defensive."
The announcement came hours after a phone conversation between Macron and Donald Trump late on Wednesday, the first exchange between the two leaders following the US and Israel's attacks on Iran. The approval for the "temporary" use of French bases is seen as a possible increased involvement in the conflict by France, which has also deployed the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean.
France's main military presence in the area is the Camp de la Paix base in Dhafra, near Abu Dhabi, established in 2009 as part of a mutual defense agreement between France and the United Arab Emirates. The base was attacked by Iranian drones over the past weekend. The impacts caused a fire in a hangar and material damage, but no casualties.
The French Foreign Minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, announced earlier this week the incorporation of Rafale fighter jets stationed at the base into surveillance and protection missions of the airspace in the vicinity of the base. French planes have apparently intercepted several Iranian drones since then.
On Thursday, six foreign employees, Pakistanis and Nepalese, were injured by debris from the interception of an Iranian drone in an industrial area known as ICAD 2 in Abu Dhabi.