France deploys three Rafale fighters to defend Poland and NATO eastern border

French President Emmanuel Macron announced Thursday (September 11) that he had decided to send three Rafale fighter jets to help protect the airspace of Poland and Eastern Europe, Reuters reports.

The planes were sent east along with personnel, handling equipment and ammunition, and were operational on Friday (September 12), the French Armed Forces said in a statement.

With the support of aircraft from its NATO allies, Poland shot down suspected Russian drones that had violated its airspace on Wednesday (September 10), a first for an alliance member country since the start of the war in Ukraine.

NATO on Friday launched an operation named Eastern Sentry to bolster the defence of Europe's eastern flank in response to Russian drone incursions into Polish airspace earlier this week.