France allowed American bombers flying to Iran to cross its territory for the first time.
For the first time since the beginning of the war in the Middle East, France has allowed American strategic bombers to fly through its territory on their way to Iran. The publication Itamilradar first reported this on March 20. The information was confirmed by OSINT analyst OSINTtechnical and the service Flightradar24, as quoted by Meduza.
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>A flight of USAF B-52s appears to have used French airspace today to carry out a strike mission on Iran.
— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) March 20, 2026
Spotters in England confirmed that the bombers were armed with a full load of cruise missiles on departure. pic.twitter.com/Fl9YCHr0yQ
As Itamilradar writes, two B-52H and two B-1 bombers flew through French territory. All aircraft took off from the British airbase Fairford in Gloucestershire, England. Cruise missiles were noticed on the bombers at takeoff.
Previously, American bombers avoided the airspace of continental Europe during flights from the UK towards the Middle East and flew through Gibraltar. The Aviationist suggests that flight planners may not have submitted requests to fly over the territory of European countries before this.
France did not join the war between the U.S. and Israel against Iran, but in early March allowed American allies to use its bases in the Middle East.
Earlier in March, Iran struck a French military base in Iraq with a drone. As a result of the attack, one soldier was killed and several were injured.
