French President Emmanuel Macron is visiting an air base in Jordan on Thursday and Friday to celebrate Christmas with French forces deployed abroad and "highlight France's enduring commitment to the fight against terrorism," according to the Elysee. In the midst of a political storm in France, the head of state will address this Thursday evening the 350 soldiers of the base who will be invited to a dinner prepared by the kitchens of the presidency.
On Thursday afternoon, he will meet with Jordan's King Abdullah II, with whom he had already spoken on 25 October during a tour of the Near and Middle East. It will be "an opportunity to review the work we have in common with our Jordanian partners in terms of humanitarian and medical aid to the civilian population of Gaza," according to the Élysée. Two new humanitarian aid cargo flights for civilians in the Gaza Strip (scheduled for Thursday and 26 December) will be bound for Amman.
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On the eve of his departure, the French president reiterated the French position on the conflict between Israel and Hamas. "As the weeks go by, we cannot let the idea take hold that effectively fighting terrorism would be to raze everything in Gaza or to attack the civilian population indiscriminately and cause civilian casualties," he said in an interview with the channel France 5.
"That is why, while recognizing Israel's right to protect itself while fighting terrorism, we demand the protection of these people and a truce leading to a ceasefire on humanitarian grounds," he added.
In Jordan, soldiers from Operation Chammal
The French soldiers deployed in Jordan are part of Operation Chammal, which, in addition to those based in Jordan, has 250 French forces in Iraq and Syria as part of the French component of Operation Inherent Resolve (OIF) launched in 2014 against the Islamic State (IS) group and coordinated by the United States. The death of three French soldiers this summer in Iraq - a member of the special forces on operation, a soldier in an accident and a 3rd during an "operational exercise" - was a reminder that France was still engaged in the region where IS remains active.
However, "the operation has evolved and focuses on advising, assisting and facilitating missions for the benefit of the Iraqi forces," the Elysée said. Strikes in support of Iraqi forces are now "few in number", according to the same source. Four Rafales are currently based in Jordan. Since October 7, the days of Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel, attacks by pro-Iranian militias have multiplied, particularly in Syria against American bases, with a real risk of escalation, according to security experts.
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This is the first time that the French president has visited a projected air base (BAP) of the French Air Force for Christmas. In December 2022, Emmanuel Macron went with the navy to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle off the coast of Egypt. In previous years, he had travelled several times to Africa, to Chad and the Ivory Coast, where the French army was then very involved in the fight against terrorism.
On Friday, while the president will be at the planned air base in the Levant, the last French soldiers will fly out of Niger, as announced by the military regime in power in this Sahelian country, after more than a decade of anti-jihadist struggle in the region. Driven out of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger by hostile juntas, French forces have been partially redeploying in Eastern Europe since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.