France's President Emmanuel Macron has not offered support for the airstrikes in Yemen (Image: Getty Images)

       Emmanuel Macron has been blasted after France failed to support the UK and US' airstrikes on the Houthis. On Thursday, both Washington and London responded to the Houthis' drone attacks, including an attack on the HMS Diamond, which occurred on Tuesday.

       However, France refrained from endorsing a statement in support of the air strikes, citing its decision not to participate in bombing raids aimed at safeguarding Red Sea shipping.

       Germany, Denmark, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, and Bahrain jointly signed a statement expressing support for the US-UK strikes and cautioning about the possibility of additional actions.

       Julien Barnes-Dacey, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Council on Foreign Relations think tank, said France wanted to keep a “degree of distance” from US-led operations in the region, reported The Telegraph.

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       He said this would “preserve some space to play a mediating role with Iran and its allies, which has been a consistent feature of Macron’s regional agenda.

       READ MORE Boris Johnson blames Keir Starmer for Houthi rebellion due to controversial vote

       Macron may play a 'mediating role' in the future (Image: Getty Images)

       Mr Barnes-Dacey added: “The French fear getting pulled into American-Iran polarisation and conflict, which would reduce their own space for influence.

       “We also saw this in recent years when Paris didn’t join the US-led naval operation in the Persian Gulf and instead pushed a more inclusive European-led effort.”

       Eloise Fayet, a research fellow at the French Institute of International Relations also agreed.

       She told the publication: “France is very insistent on the concept of acting as a balancing power and a third way.

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       “This stance is maintained by France and is therefore incompatible with such strikes, threats of strikes against the Houthis.

       “For the moment, France prefers to stick to what it is already doing, namely operations to reassure and protect commercial vessels crossing the Red Sea.”

       The Netherlands contributed logistical assistance during the strikes, while other significant European powers such as France, Spain, and Italy refrained from providing military or political support.

       Paris, along with Italy and Spain, not only opted out of participating in the strikes but also declined the opportunity to endorse a statement expressing support for them.

       The government led by Emmanuel Macron has dismissed the possibility of collaborative efforts with Western allies, a departure from its involvement in joint actions during events such as the intervention in Libya in 2011 and the campaign against the Islamic State in Syria in 2015

       Rear Admiral Emmanuel Slaars, the country’s naval commander in the area, said on Thursday that Paris’s current mandate did not include striking Houthis directly.

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