Macron said the deployment of the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle along with eight warships and two helicopter carriers is strictly “defensive” and designed to protect French nationals and regional partners without making France a direct party to the conflict.

The deployment comes after a French soldier was killed in a drone attack near Irbil in northern Iraq, where French forces are training Iraqi units as part of a multinational counterterrorism mission.

France has also strengthened its air presence in the United Arab Emirates, doubling the number of Rafale fighter jets at its base in Abu Dhabi to 12. French authorities said Rafale jets have intercepted drones targeting the UAE since the conflict began.

France maintains defense agreements with Gulf states including Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, and also has forces deployed in Jordan and Iraq. Officials say the naval presence will help respond to emergencies and facilitate the evacuation of French nationals if needed. France has more than 400,000 citizens living in the Middle East, including large communities in Israel and the UAE.

Alongside the military buildup, Macron has intensified diplomatic outreach. He has spoken with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, calling for a diplomatic solution to the conflict and urging de-escalation.

France is also attempting to mediate tensions in Lebanon, where clashes between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah have intensified. Paris, which maintains troops in the UN peacekeeping mission there, has sent humanitarian aid and continues to support the Lebanese military.

Speaking in Kyiv, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian specialists have already been deployed to several countries in the region to help assess defenses against kamikaze drones used by Iran.

Each Ukrainian team consists of dozens of experts tasked with analyzing local air-defense capabilities and demonstrating effective counter-drone strategies.

According to the Ukrainian leader, teams have been sent to Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia, while specialists have also visited a U.S. military base in Jordan. The deployments come as Gulf states face growing threats from Iranian “Shahed” kamikaze drones and have expended significant numbers of air-defense missiles trying to intercept them.

Ukraine has gained extensive experience countering such drones during its war with Russia. Ukrainian forces regularly intercept drones using a mix of air-defense systems, electronic jamming equipment, and smaller interceptor drones that provide a cheaper alternative to expensive missile systems.

Zelenskyy emphasized that Ukraine’s assistance does not mean involvement in military operations against Iran. Instead, he described the mission as a defensive effort focused on sharing knowledge and conducting detailed evaluations of regional air-defense strategies.

“This is not about participating in operations. We are not at war with Iran,” Zelenskyy said, stressing that Ukraine’s role is limited to technical advice and strategic assessments on how to counter the Iranian-made Shahed drones.

He added that nearly a dozen countries worldwide have approached Ukraine seeking guidance on defending against drone attacks, reflecting Kyiv’s growing reputation in drone warfare and electronic defense.However, Zelenskyy made clear that Ukraine expects tangible benefits from its assistance.

“Honestly, for us today, both the technology and the funding are important,” he said, noting that discussions about what Ukraine will receive in return are still ongoing.

The Ukrainian president also said it remains uncertain whether Kyiv and the United States will finalize a long-discussed agreement on drone cooperation, negotiations for which have been underway for months.

As drone warfare becomes an increasingly central feature of modern conflicts, Ukraine’s battlefield experience is now positioning the country as an emerging global source of expertise in counter-drone defense.

The latest attacks followed one of the heaviest rounds of strikes on Tuesday, with combatants targeting sites in Israel, Lebanon and parts of the Gulf, according to reports from the region.

Missile barrages forced millions of Israelis to seek shelter as air defense systems responded to incoming attacks.

Military exchanges intensified overnight into Wednesday as opposing forces carried out additional strikes across regional targets. The conflict, which pits the United States and Israel against Iran and its allied networks, has increasingly spread beyond initial fronts, drawing in locations across the eastern Mediterranean and Gulf region.

Iran’s leadership signaled growing concern about domestic unrest as the war continues. State authorities warned that security forces were prepared to confront any attempts to revive anti-government protests while the country faces external military pressure.

The conflict has effectively blocked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a crucial maritime corridor through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s fossil fuel supplies normally transit. The disruption raised immediate concerns over global energy security and triggered a sharp spike in oil prices earlier this week.

Crude markets surged on Monday before retreating as traders assessed the likelihood of diplomatic intervention. Investors have increasingly speculated that U.S. President Donald Trump may push for steps to de-escalate the conflict.

In a move aimed at calming volatile energy markets, the International Energy Agency has proposed the largest coordinated release of oil reserves in its history, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal citing officials familiar with the plan. Reuters was not immediately able to independently verify the report.

The proposed release would add additional supply to global markets at a time when energy flows from the Gulf have been disrupted, easing pressure on prices and helping stabilize financial markets that reacted sharply to the outbreak of hostilities earlier in the week.

European countries more than tripled their arms imports in the 2021–2025 period compared with 2016–2020, according to the report from the Sweden-based research institute. The increase reflects efforts to supply Ukraine in its defence against Russia’s invasion and to rebuild European militaries after decades of relatively low defence spending.

“The sharp increase in arms flows to European states pushed global arms transfers up almost 10%,” said Mathew George, director of the institute’s Arms Transfers Programme.

Europe accounted for 33% of global arms imports during the period, a sharp rise from 12% in the previous five-year timeframe, the report showed.

The surge in European procurement followed Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which prompted governments across the continent to replenish stockpiles and modernise armed forces.

Military assistance to Kyiv and the need to restore national inventories after decades of reduced defence spending have driven demand for advanced systems, including aircraft and air-defence capabilities.

Despite expanding domestic production, European governments continued to purchase significant volumes of equipment from the United States, particularly combat aircraft and long-range air-defence systems, according to the data.

The figures highlight the continuing reliance of many European countries on American defence technology even as European governments seek to strengthen their own defence industries.

Arms imports by Middle Eastern states declined by 13% during the same five-year period, although the region remains a major buyer of military equipment.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar ranked among the four largest individual arms importers globally.Pieter Wezeman, a senior researcher at the institute, said the decline mainly reflected large Saudi procurement orders placed in the previous reporting period that are still being integrated into the country’s military inventory.

He added that many governments in the region had already placed new orders before the latest escalation involving the United States, Israel and Iran, meaning the impact of those purchases is not yet fully reflected in the figures.

Wezeman said the current regional conflict is likely to boost demand further, particularly for anti-missile and air-defence systems.

“They will first replace what they have used, but also that they are going to look at buying more equipment to protect themselves even better than they can do now,” he said.

On the supply side, the United States increased its share of the global arms export market to 42%, up from 36% in the previous period, reinforcing its position as the world’s leading weapons exporter.

France ranked as the second-largest supplier with 9.8% of global arms exports.

Russia saw its share fall sharply to 6.8% from 21% following its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, according to the report.Combined European arms exports accounted for 28% of the global market, a figure roughly four times larger than Russia’s share and five times greater than that of China, underscoring Europe’s growing role in the international defence trade.