AP PHOTOS: Police and military secure the city ahead of the Olympic Games

The head of the Paris Olympics boldly declared that France’s capital would be “the safest place in the world” when the Games open. Tony Estanguet’s confident forecast, delivered a year ago, looks less far-fetched ahead of the opening ceremony Friday. Squadrons of police are patrolling Paris streets and fighter jets and soldiers are ready to scramble. An imposing metal-fenced security cordon has been erected like an iron curtain on both sides of the River Seine that will star in the opening show. France’s vast police and military operation is largely because the July 26-Aug. 11 Games face unprecedented challenges. The city has repeatedly suffered bloody extremist attacks and international tensions are high because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza .