France is preparing charter flights to evacuate its nationals from the Middle East as violence spreads across the region after Israeli and US air strikes on Iran, Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Tuesday. He added that French diplomatic and military teams were fully mobilised and, at this stage, no French citizens have been killed or injured.
“We are preparing to charter flights so that the most vulnerable people, those who deserve to be accompanied, can benefit from them if necessary,” Barrot told French broadcaster BFMTV.
Around 400,000 French nationals are estimated to live in countries in the Arabian Gulf affected by the conflict since Saturday’s strikes, which killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several of the country’s top military commanders.
Barrot said no French citizens have been killed or hurt so far in the conflict. He also said France was not informed in advance of the Israeli and US strikes and did not take part in the military operations.
“We have set up consular teams at the borders between Israel and Egypt and Jordan to facilitate the passage of French nationals who wish to leave by land and then take a flight from Egypt or Jordan,” Barrot said.
He urged French citizens to use commercial flights where they are available.
Barrot said around 18,000 French tourists were at one stage seeking to return home, adding that the figure is changing. He urged French nationals in the region to register on the Fil d’Ariane travel register so authorities can contact them if needed.
He said diplomatic and consular teams are fully mobilised, with crisis services operating around the clock.
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Military support pledge
Barrot said France stands ready to provide military assistance to regional partners if requested following Iranian retaliatory attacks.
Omani and Saudi Arabian airspace remained open, he added, and French nationals in the United Arab Emirates could cross into those countries to catch flights.
France has hundreds of navy, air force and army personnel based in the UAE. On Tuesday, Barrot confirmed France had deployed Rafale fighter jets based at Dhafra near Abu Dhabi over the emirate to protect its military sites.
“These Rafales and their pilots are mobilised to ensure the security of our facilities. They have carried out operations to secure the airspace above our bases,” Barrot said.
“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.
On Tuesday, Iran hit two data centres in the UAE and a drone landed near another in Bahrain, causing damage.
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Regional escalation
Iranian missiles also struck energy facilities in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and attacked several ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the 55-km waterway between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman through which 20 percent of traded oil passes.
“The Strait of Hormuz is closed,” said Brigadier General Ebrahim Jabbari, an adviser to the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
“Don’t come to this region,” he warned, threatening to set fire to any ships attempting to pass through the strait.
On Tuesday, the French Interior Ministry said it would step up police protection for Iranian opposition figures and associations based in France.
Extra patrols will be deployed near opposition-linked premises amid fears they could be targeted by agents and sympathisers of Khamenei, who had ruled Iran since 1989.
As the war entered its fourth day, Air France-KLM kept its suspension of flights to and from the Middle East.
“Customer and crew safety is our top priority,” a company spokesperson said.
No flights will operate on routes to Tel Aviv, Beirut, Dubai and Riyadh until at least Thursday.
“The company is closely monitoring the situation and will reassess its decision to resume services as conditions evolve,” the spokesperson added.
KLM, the Dutch arm of the airline group, has also suspended flights to and from Dammam, Dubai and Riyadh until 9 March.
(with newswires)
