European nations are moving military assets to the eastern Mediterranean after the widening Middle East conflict drew the island of Cyprus into the crisis.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with their governments agreeing to coordinate the deployment of military resources to the eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus.
A member of Macron’s team said the leaders had agreed to “coordinate the dispatch of military assets” and work together to guarantee freedom of navigation in the Red Sea.
France had already announced it would send the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to the Mediterranean following the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Paris also said the multipurpose frigate Languedoc and air defence units would be deployed to Cyprus.
Italy said it would dispatch naval assets to help defend Cyprus alongside France, Spain and the Netherlands in the coming days.
Greece has also announced it will send two frigates and two F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft to Cyprus as part of the growing European presence in the region.
Meanwhile, Spain said it would deploy its most advanced frigate, the Cristóbal Colón (F-105), to protect Cyprus after a drone strike targeted the runway of the RAF Akrotiri earlier this week.
The Spanish defence ministry said the vessel would join the French carrier Charles de Gaulle and Greek naval ships to provide aerial defence and support potential evacuations of civilians.
The frigate is expected to head to the Mediterranean after completing a mission in the Baltic Sea alongside the Charles de Gaulle, and is scheduled to arrive near the Greek island of Crete around March 10.
The Spanish announcement comes amid tensions with the United States after Madrid refused to allow Washington to use its military bases for operations against Iran.
The White House said on Wednesday that Spain had agreed to cooperate with the US military, but Madrid later reaffirmed its opposition to the war and maintained that its bases would not be used in the conflict.
France, Britain, Italy and Greece have all announced the deployment of sea and air resources to Cyprus following the drone attack on the Akrotiri base on Monday, highlighting growing concerns that the Middle East war could spill further into the eastern Mediterranean.
With AFP