Speaking at a press conference in Paris, the French leader said that France is a prime target for terror attacks because “human rights are denied by those fanatics”.
He announced that France’s state of national emergency will continue for three months more, as opposed to ending on 26 July as planned.
Hollande returned to Paris early on Friday morning following initial reports of the attack that left at least 84 dead and a further 18 in a critical condition, euronews reported.
He met with French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve for a crisis meeting.
Cazeneuve flew to Nice in the early hours of Friday morning after giving a press conference in which he said that France is “at war with terrorists who want to strike us no matter the cost”.
Hollande also said that France would not yield in its fight against extremism.
He told reporters in Paris that France’s war on terror would “intensify in Syria as well as in Iraq” and that the French military “will continue to hit the strongholds of those who are attacking us on our own soil.”