It was on the evening of Monday September 30 that an amphibious helicopter carrier (PHA) of the French Navy left Toulon. 200 meters long, the ship was deployed in the Eastern Mediterranean due to the “ deterioration of the situation » in Lebanon, the general staff announced to AFP. According to our information, a La Fayette-type frigate (FLF) also left Toulouse harbor this Tuesday, October 1, in order to escort the PHA.
The start of a long list? While Iran launched around a hundred missiles at Israel this Tuesday, the rise in tensions in the Middle East is pushing the French army to “ consider sending other ships », confides a senior officer to the JDD. “ If circumstances require, we must be prepared to mobilize other assets near the area of operation », he adds.
The sending of the PHA responds above all to the need to provide, if necessary, a solution to evacuate French nationals to Lebanon, where around 23,000 French or Franco-Lebanese reside. “ Our role is to be able to intervene militarily in a given political situation. Wherever our nationals reside, plans are put in place to guarantee their security when the local state is unable to do so », Explains another soldier.
While France has three PHAs, the name of the vessel which set sail on Monday has not been disclosed but the General Staff assures that it will put “ 5 to 6 days » to reach the defined area. In the event of an evacuation, the ship has helicopters and an “on-board battle group” of around 150 Army soldiers. It remains to define the boat parking area, which will depend on international coordination on site. “ We are not the only ones to deploy ships, we must avoid duplication », Specifies an officer, while the United Kingdom and the United States have also moved buildings not far from Lebanon.
Amphibious helicopter carriers know the region well
Once at sea, the two Toulon gray ships should be joined by another frigate already present in the eastern Mediterranean. Indeed, since the Russian aggression against Ukraine in February 2022, the French Navy has ensured an almost permanent deployment in this area. Significant protection for the helicopter carrier. « PHAs are not the most heavily armed ships. By escorting the ship, we increase its security in case it needs to come closer to the coast and find itself within missile range », Explains a Navy officer. These remarks recall the situation of 2006, when the helicopter carrier Mistral had narrowly escaped a rocket attack while already off the coast of Lebanon, as part of Operation Balliste.
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Since the attacks of October 7, this is not the first time that an amphibious helicopter carrier has been deployed in the region. In October 2023, the Thunder had been dispatched from Toulon. A few weeks later, it was Diksmuide which, last January, provided aid to the civilian populations of Gaza. On board the latter, which has a hospital, nearly 120 seriously injured people were treated and more than 2,000 consultations and medical procedures carried out during the two-month mission. Depending on its configuration, a PHA can accommodate 70 beds and has a radiology room and several operating theaters.
