PARIS, March 3 (Xinhua) -- French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said Tuesday that French Rafale fighter jets deployed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have carried out "air security operations" over French military bases in the country.
Speaking on French news channel BFM TV, Barrot said that as France maintains naval and air bases in the UAE, the Rafale jets and their crews had been mobilized to ensure the security of French facilities. He claimed that France "has the right to intervene."
On Monday, Barrot said France was ready to participate in the defense of the Gulf countries and Jordan under binding agreements.
On Sunday, French Minister of the Armed Forces Catherine Vautrin said on social media that a hangar at France's naval base, located adjacent to an Emirati base, was hit in a drone attack targeting the port of Abu Dhabi. The damage was limited to material losses, and no injuries were reported.
Early Saturday, joint U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Tehran and other Iranian cities killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, along with some of the leader's family members, senior military commanders and civilians. Iran responded with several waves of missile and drone attacks on Israel and U.S. bases across the Middle East. ■