Macron Denies CIA Warned France of Possible Russian Drone Attacks

French President Emmanuel Macron said Thursday that the US Central Intelligence Agency did not inform French intelligence services of a report claiming it had warned European governments about possible Russian drone attacks launched from the Mediterranean, according to France 24.

Macron's comments came during a primetime television interview, in which he denied a report published by the Spanish newspaper El Mundo alleging the CIA had issued such a warning. In the same interview, Macron said France would send troops and defense systems to Saudi Arabia to help protect the Red Sea port city of Yanbu.

Two Separate Announcements

The denial addresses a specific claim about intelligence-sharing between the United States and European governments regarding a potential security threat in the Mediterranean region. Macron's rejection of the report suggests either that the CIA did not issue such a warning, or that it did not do so through channels reaching French services, according to his account.

Separately, the announcement of troops and defense systems bound for Yanbu points to French security cooperation with Saudi Arabia around the protection of a key Red Sea port. France 24's report did not specify the scale of the deployment or a timeline for when it would take place.