France’s Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group is set to enter the Mediterranean late Friday into Saturday, Defense Minister Catherine Vautrin said, after departing northern Europe and transiting the Strait of Gibraltar. President Emmanuel Macron announced the move as support for Cyprus and France’s Gulf Arab partners; French officials emphasize the deployment is defensive and not part of any U.S.-Israeli offensive against Iran.
The Israel Defense Forces reported carrying out a broad wave of 26 strikes in the Dahieh area of Lebanon, saying the attacks targeted Hezbollah infrastructure, including an executive council command center and a facility used to store unmanned aerial vehicles allegedly used against Israel. The IDF said it took steps beforehand to reduce civilian harm.
The IDF also said it has been working closely with the United States in Operation Roaring Lion and claimed roughly 80% of Iran’s air defense systems have been destroyed, producing what it described as near-complete air superiority. IDF Chief of the General Staff Eyal Zamir said more than 60% of Iran’s ballistic missile launchers were neutralized or destroyed, while warning the threat from Iran has not been eliminated.
Those strikes on Iranian regime infrastructure around Tehran came as missile and drone activity was reported across the region. Qatar’s Defense Ministry said air defenses intercepted a drone targeting Al-Udeid Air Base. Bahrain reported that Iran targeted a hotel and two residential buildings in Manama with no casualties; imagery circulated after an Iranian drone was intercepted over Bahrain Financial Harbour showed smoke. Saudi Arabia said it intercepted and destroyed a missile and a drone, and Kuwait’s army reported its air defenses responded to hostile missile and drone attacks that breached its airspace.