what was the role played by the French army during the night from Saturday to Sunday?

Different versions are circulating on the involvement of Paris in the defense of Israeli territory, after the sending of drones and missiles carried out by the Tehran regime against Israel. The President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron recognized on Monday an intervention by France.

After the vast Iranian attack on Israeli territory, on the night of Saturday April 13 to Sunday April 14, chancelleries around the world fear a conflagration in the Middle East. The tension in the region thus pushes French diplomacy to weigh its words concerning the role played by France in the defense of Israeli territory.

For its part, the Israeli army was pleased to have been able to count on “a defensive coalition of international allies”, led by the United States with Britain, France and other countries, to counter Iran’s sending of drones and missiles. Franceinfo takes stock of the different versions circulating.

For the Israeli army: France was part of the “defensive coalition of international allies”

Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari announced on Sunday that France had participated in Israeli defense after the attack “unprecedented” launched by Iran during the night from Saturday to Sunday. “France has made an important contribution”specified the spokesperson during an interview with the foreign press reported by The world.

According to the Israeli army, the Iranian offensive was foiled using a “defensive coalition of international allies”, including the United States, Britain, France and other countries. According to the spokesperson, “more than 350 drones and ballistic missiles and cruise missiles” were launched towards Israel. No drones or missiles “has not entered the territory of Israel”with the exception of a few ballistic missiles having “lightly hit the base of Nevatim”.

“We intercepted 99% of the shots towards Israel,” said Daniel Hagari in a televised address. “This was the first time such a coalition had worked together against the threat from Iran and its proxies in the Middle East”he added. “I would like to thank France and the French who participated in these interceptions,” Colonel Olivier Rafowicz, spokesperson for the Israeli army, also told franceinfo.

For Stéphane Séjourné: “We have taken our responsibilities”

Sunday evening, Stéphane Séjourné, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, guest on France 2’s “20 Heures”, clarified the contours of French intervention in Israeli defense. “We have taken our responsibilities because we are actors in regional security”, he assured. According to the minister, France participated in the defense of air bases in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Iraq. “The Iranian attack not only implicated Israel, but undermined the security of our forces and violated the airspace of our Arab partners.” In this context, “France intercepted several of these projectiles in order to protect French bases in the region”.

The French army has “contributed to surveillance” military assets that it uses in the region, in Jordan in particular, a military source confirmed to franceinfo. She intercepted shots fired by Iran against Israel as part of “self-protection measures”. The French soldiers thus resorted to air defense means “which can be on the ground and in the air”continues this same source.

For Emmanuel Macron: “interceptions” at the request of Jordan

“We intervened”, confirmed for his part, Monday, Emmanuel Macron, interviewed by BFMTV during an interview given 102 days before the start of the Paris Olympic Games. France carried out “interceptions” Iranian missiles and drones targeting Israel during the night from Saturday to Sunday at the request of Jordan. “We have an air base in Jordan (…) Jordanian airspace was violated by these shots”explained the head of state.

“We got our planes off the ground and we intercepted what we needed to intercept.”

Emmanuel Macron

on BFMTV

The President of the Republic also assured that he wanted “do everything to avoid conflagration”. He has “condemned in the strongest possible terms the unprecedented attack launched by Iran against Israel” and called the stakeholders “with restraint”. But these are “the Americans who have a very important role to play in containing Iran”, he admitted. By deciding to “hit Israel” from its soil, Iran provoked “a deep break” And “what has opened is very dangerous in terms of reaction”he estimated.