How vulnerable is the Gulf? Iran war escalation undermines energy security
Who’s paying for this war? First and foremost, the people of the Middle East directly in harm’s way.
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Is China training an army of robots? Nope, it’s an AI-generated video
Some media users have been sharing videos that they claim are proof that China has started training humanoid robot soldiers. It turns out, however, that these videos were – surprise surprise – created by AI.
US war on Iran has no Plan B, warns Scott Lucas: 'Trump just wants to kill people and blow stuff up'
As the US war on Iran escalates, spreading conflict across the Middle East, Angela Diffley is pleased to welcome Scott Lucas, Journalist and Professor of American Studies & International Politics at the Clinton Institute, University College Dublin. The Trump administration entered this confrontation assuming that overwhelming pressure and military force would compel the Iranian regime to capitulat...
'We will dismantle the stronghold of Hezbollah': Israel's permanent representative to UN
Danny Danon, Israel's permanent representative to the United Nations, told FRANCE 24 that Israel "will not allow Hezbollah to attack our civilians" and "will dismantle the stronghold of Hezbollah", following an unprecedented warning to residents to evacuate all of Beirut's southern suburbs. He added that Israel has "no desire to attack anyone" but "will do whatever is necessary in order to dismant...
Iranian artists in exile speak out as war shakes their homeland
As war shakes their home country, Iranians of the diaspora in Paris have raised their voices, calling for peace, solidarity and a sustainable transition from autocracy.
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War in the Middle East: Global reactions and military deployments
Six days after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, the conflict is widening. Israel has carried out strikes in Lebanon, while Washington is asking Iraq’s Kurds for support. FRANCE 24's Catherine Viette takes a look at the reactions and military deployments since Saturday.
Could Mojtaba Khamenei, son of the former supreme leader, take power in Iran?
The death of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an Israeli strike on Saturday sparked the search for a successor that has seen the former leader’s son, Mojtaba, emerge as the front runner. Although a secretive figure in the Islamic Republic, Mojtaba Khamenei is considered one of the regime’s most influential personalities.
War in the Middle East: Iranian artists react to current events
Reactions to developments in Iran have not been limited to politicians and diplomats – many Iranian artists have spoken out since the outbreak of war, especially those in the diaspora, including those living here in France. FRANCE 24's Culture Editor Olivia Salazar-Winspear tells us more.
Lebanon: Tens of thousands of residents displaced ahead of fresh Israeli strikes
FRANCE 24's spoke to residents from southern #Lebanon, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs of #Beirut who were forced to evacuate their homes as intense #Israeli strikes on Lebanon resumed in response to #Hezbollah rockets.
Lebanon: Tens of thousands of residents displaced amid Israeli strikes
FRANCE 24's spoke to residents from southern #Lebanon, the Bekaa, and the southern suburbs of #Beirut who were forced to evacuate their homes as intense #Israeli strikes on Lebanon resumed in response to #Hezbollah rockets.
Bombing rages in Iran as war widens in Middle East
The US and Israeli bombardment of Iran has sent smoke plumes rising above Tehran and left buildings in ruins. An Iranian state-owned newspaper called Iran reported bombings at a police station and even a gym in Tehran, as residents shuttled to grocery stores, pharmacies and gas stations to buy supplies and fill their tanks.
Israel orders people to leave swathe of Beirut
Israel warned residents to leave Beirut's southern suburbs, including Hezbollah-controlled areas, on Thursday, prompting an exodus from a swathe of the capital, which a far-right Israeli minister said would soon resemble parts of Gaza. Suggesting a major escalation looms in Israel's offensive against the Iran-backed Hezbollah, an Israeli military spokesperson told residents of the southern subu...
Israel's Lebanon offensive 'may ultimately legitimise Hezbollah, reinforce narrative of resistance'
As the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies, Oliver Farry is pleased to welcome Dr Filippo Dionigi, Senior Lecturer in Politics & International Relations at the University of Bristol. The fragile process aimed at disarming Hezbollah hangs in the balance. A negotiated political settlement could have strengthened Lebanese state institutions and gradually curtailed Hezbollah’s militant a...
Iran conflict is 'not a justified war': Former US special envoy for Iran Robert Malley
Robert Malley, former US special envoy for Iran under Joe Biden and a key negotiator of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, has told FRANCE 24 that the US-Israeli war against Iran is "not a justified war, not a necessary war and not a lawful war". For Malley, the "cacophony" over the conflict's rationale "reflects the fact that this is a joint Israeli-US decision" and a marriage of what US President Donal...
Azerbaijan: Drone strike on an airport and near a school
Two drones struck Azerbaijan on Thursday, injuring four people according to Baku, which accuses Iran and is threatening ‘retaliation’. Tehran, for its part, denies being behind the strikes and blames Israel instead.
‘Panic and fear’: Iran’s political prisoners face increasing danger amid US-Israel war
Rights groups warned this week that prisoners in Iran – thousands of whom were detained during recent anti-government protests – are being refused shelter during US and Israeli strikes and face increased risk of forced disappearance and execution due to a nationwide internet blackout.
War in the Middle East: Iran under heavy attack
The United States and Israel have launched nationwide strikes on Iran, targeting military sites as well as civilian infrastructure. The war has killed at least 1,230 people in Iran, more than 70 in Lebanon and around a dozen in Israel, according to officials.
Ghana to grow its local therapeutic cannabis industry
The Ghanaian government is moving ahead with plans to grow its local therapeutic cannabis industry. Authorities are set to begin issuing licenses for the cultivation of cannabis strictly for medicinal and industrial purposes. Under legislation first passed in 2020, Ghana authorised the regulated production of cannabis containing less than 0.3 percent THC for therapeutic use. It was the first count...
South Africa army deployment in crime hotspots to last a year
South Africa will deploy soldiers for a year to provinces struggling to quell rampant crime and illegal mining, according to a mission plan presented to parliament on Wednesday. President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the deployment last month, calling organised crime the "most immediate threat" to South Africa's democracy and economic development.
US reaches out to Iran’s Kurds, but will they also be ‘hung out to dry’?
The US has made an outreach to Iranian Kurdish dissident groups as "Operation Epic Fury" rattles the pieces of the Middle East geostrategic chess game. The Kurds in other countries have a history of being pawns in Washington’s games and have at times used their leverage to their advantage. But under the Trump administration, Iran’s Kurds face colossal challenges.
US reaches out to Iran’s Kurds, but will they be ‘hung out to dry’ this time?
The US has made an outreach to Iranian Kurdish dissident groups as "Operation Epic Fury" rattles the pieces of the Middle East geostrategic chess game. The Kurds in other countries have a history of being pawns in Washington’s games and have at times used their leverage to their advantage. But under the Trump administration, Iran’s Kurds face colossal challenges.
REPLAY: UK PM Starmer holds press conference on Middle East war
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer held a press conference on Thursday afternoon to give an update on the escalating conflict in the Middle East. Britain's cautious response to the Iran crisis and a drone attack on its key military base in Cyprus have led to doubts among partners, including US President Donald Trump, about its military effectiveness. Starmer said Britain had the "right plan...
US Senate rejects war powers bill to halt attacks against Iran
As the US-Israeli war on Iran spirals, US Senate Republicans rejected a war powers measure demanding congressional approval before further attacks. A twin House bill faces the same long odds in the Republican-controlled Congress, and Trump would almost certainly veto it anyway.
'Very tense situation here': Israel's fresh strikes hit Beirut
Lebanon was dragged into the conflict on Monday, when the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah attacked Israel to avenge the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli strikes that launched the war. Israel responded with air strikes and sent ground troops into some Lebanese border villages, and told residents of a large area of south Lebanon to leave in anticipation...
War in the Middle East: Where does France stand?
Since US-Israeli strikes against Iran began last Saturday, France has taken what President Emmanuel Macron calls a “strictly defensive” posture. On Tuesday, Macron said the US-Israel operations in Iran were conducted “outside international law”, while announcing the deployment of the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and other military assets to the Mediterranean. So where does France stand? FRAN...
Azerbaijan's President Aliyev vows retaliation after 'terrorist' drone strike blamed on Iran
Baku has vowed to retaliate against what it described as "a terrorist act" allegedly carried out by Tehran after two drones hit an airport and narrowly missed a school building in Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave on the border with Iran. The Islamic Republic has denied carrying out the attack.
Iran war is now 'a logistical battle': Former head of the French military mission to the UN
The former head of the French military mission to the UN has spoken to FRANCE 24 about how long the war in the Middle East could go on. General Dominique Trinquand says the war is now a logistics battle, which depends entirely on how many drones and missiles, and the means of launching them, remain. The difficulty for the US and Israel is that they know exactly how many they have, but it is much h...
Iraqi-based Kurdish groups a ‘long-running threat’ to Tehran
Fresh blasts were reported in Iran's capital on Thursday as Tehran said it had targeted Kurdish groups in Iraq and warned "separatist groups" against action in the widening war. FRANCE 24's Reza Sayah reports from Tehran, Iran.
Israel keeps up Lebanon strikes, more than 83,000 people displaced
Israel's attacks on Lebanon entered a fourth day on Thursday, killing at least two according to state media, after Israeli forces pushed into border towns and conducted air strikes targeting Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Lebanon was drawn into the Middle East war on Monday, when Hezbollah attacked Israel in response to the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during US-...
Iran pummeled by intensive airstrikes as war enters day six
The US-Israeli campaign against Iran entered its sixth day on Thursday with what residents described as even more intensive bombing, while Iran vowed to retaliate anywhere for a US attack on a ship thousands of miles from the battle zone. "Increasingly, these airstrikes are targeting locations that have nothing to do with the military," explains FRANCE 24's Reza Sayah, reporting from Tehran, Iran...