Macron: France sending aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle to Mediterranean

"We have defense agreements that bind us to Qatar, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. The latter are particularly targeted, and we owe them solidarity," Macron said. He said France was helping its citizens who wanted to leave the region get out and that two flights were due to arrive in Paris on Tuesday evening. Security had also been reinforced at some sites in France, he added.

Macron said Iran itself "bears primary responsibility" for the US-Israeli action, but added, "the United States of America and Israel have decided to launch military operations; they were conducted outside international law, which we cannot approve."

(Reporting by Makini Brice and Benoit Van Overstraeten; Writing by Charlotte Van Campenhout and Ingrid Melander; editing by Richard Lough)