France deploys additional LHD and Frigate to East Mediterranean
The French Navy Mistral-class LHD Tonnerre and Lafayette-class frigate Courbet were spotted departing Toulon naval base today. The navy’s Mediterranean command (CECMEC) confirmed to Naval News that an additional LHD will reinforce French military assets deployed in the region. Tonnerre and Cou
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The French Navy Mistral-class LHD Tonnerre and Lafayette-class frigate Courbet were spotted departing Toulon naval base today. The navy’s Mediterranean command (CECMEC) confirmed to Naval News that an additional LHD will reinforce French military assets deployed in the region.
Tonnerre and Courbet were spotted departing Toulon naval base earlier today by local photographer and regular contributor to Naval News, Hervé Dermoune. Two NH90 helicopters, two Tiger helicopters, two S100 VTOL UAVs, one EDAR and two EDAS landing craft joined the LHD shortly after departing Toulon.
French army helicopters joining French Navy Mistral-class LHD Tonnerre. Picture by Hervé Dermoune.
Two S100 VTOL UAVs on the deck of French Navy Mistral-class LHD Tonnerre. Picture by Hervé Dermoune.
Naval News contacted the office of the Joint Chief of Staffs of the French military (Chef d’état-major des armées – EMA) to learn if this activity was in relation with the current geopolitical situation in Iran and Lebanon. The Mediteranean zone commander (CECMED) replied with the following statement:
“We currently have limited information to share. However, we can inform you that an LHD will be deployed to reinforce the French armed forces’ presence in the Mediterranean Sea”.
Several French outlets, inclduing Le Marin, have since reported that Tonnerre is heading to the Eastern Mediterranean as a “Lebanon contingency”: Nearly 20,000 French citizens and dual citizens live in Lebanon.
This flag up mast indicates the presence of a two star admiral aboard Tonnerre, likely able to command an operation. Picture by Hervé Dermoune.
As we reported at the time, French president Emmanuel Macron announced on Tuesday that he retasked aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and its escort to the Eastern Mediterranean. The vessel had just departed Sweden. The French CSG crossed Gibraltar and entered the Mediterranean sea earlier today.
When it set sail from Toulon on 27 January to take part in ORION 26, a major exercise off France’s Atlantic coast, the Charles de Gaulle CSG consisted of:
Aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (R91),
Air Defense FREMM Frigate Alsace (D652),
Horizon type air defense destroyer Chevalier Paul (D621),
Horizon type air defense destroyer (Italian Navy) Andrea Doria (D553)
and the new replenishment vessel (known as BRF) Jacques Chevallier(A725).
The current geopolitical situation in the Middle East is putting a lot of pressure on the French Navy.
FREMM frigate Languedoc is tasked with the protection of Cyprus. In addition, France announced that two surface combatants would join the European mission ASPIDES in the Red Sea. One of them could be FREMM frigate Provence which Naval News boarded during DIMDEX 2026 in Qatar in January.
All Mistral-class LHDs are currently deployed: Dixmude set sails on 17 February 2026 for the Indo-Pacific as part of the “JEANNE D’ARC 2026” mission. It is unclear if the LHD is still in the Mediterranean or closer to Djibouti. First-in-class ship Mistral is currently participating to NATO exercise COLD RESPONSE 26 in Northern Europe, and Tonnerre just set sails today.
According to local eyewitness, most “first rank combatants” have left Toulon naval base and most piers in the naval base are empty.
Opération Baliste
Incidently, 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of Opération Baliste: A French Armed Forces’ large-scale non-combatant evacuation operation conducted during the 2006 Lebanon War, aimed at extracting French nationals and other foreign civilians from Lebanon as hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah escalated. Launched in July 2006, the operation was led by a French naval task group deployed off the Lebanese coast, centered on amphibious ships capable of embarking large numbers of evacuees. Using helicopters, landing craft, and shuttle vessels between Beirut and ships at sea, French forces evacuated thousands of civilians to Cyprus, where they were then repatriated by air. The operation demonstrated the French Navy’s ability to project humanitarian and crisis-response capabilities in the Eastern Mediterranean rapidly.
At its peak, Opération Baliste involved a sizable maritime force, including one LHD, one LPD, frigates, and logistical support vessels operating under the command of the French Joint Staff. The naval task group served as a floating hub for evacuation, medical support, and coordination with diplomatic authorities. Over the course of the mission, French forces evacuated more than 15,000 people of various nationalities, making it one of the largest evacuation operations conducted by France in recent decades. Beyond its humanitarian dimension, the operation also illustrated the strategic value of amphibious ships and sea-based command platforms for rapid crisis response in unstable littoral environments.
