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In this edition of the Spotlight, we speak to Richard Dalton, the former British ambassador to Iran and Libya and a former consul general in Jerusalem, to unpack the first week of war and what may come next.
Some spectators booed Russia's athletes as they marched under their own flag in the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics on Friday. The International Paralympic Committee in February lifted a long-running ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under their own flags and anthems due to their role in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Some spectators booed Russia's athletes as they marched under their own flag in the opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Paralympics Friday. The International Paralympic Committee in February lifted a long-running ban on Russian and Belarusian athletes competing under their own flags and anthems due to their role in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
In a week that a major war broke out in the middle east when the US and Israel attacked Iran from the skies, with air strikes that assassinated the Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and at least forty senior Iranian officials all reportedly within a five minute period at the start of the bombing campaign on Saturday morning.
In an interview with FRANCE 24, renowned historian Rashid Khalidi described a "seismic, fundamental shift" in American public opinion on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He also argued that Israel rests on the "absolute supremacy of one group throughout Palestine", but that equality is the only basis for any "sustainable, just solution".
With ethnic brethren in northern Iran and a US outreach to Iran’s Kurds following the launch of Operation Epic Fury, Turkey and Azerbaijan are at risk of being drawn into the war. For Iran’s Azeris, the largest minority group in a multi-ethnic country, it could mean trouble as ethnic fault lines threaten to rip apart the South Caucasus region.
The fallout of the US-Israeli war on Iran is reverberating across Asia. China has condemned the attack and the killing of Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei, but is staying well clear of the conflict itself. Developing Asian economies that rely on remittances face uncertainty as millions of migrant workers are caught in the crossfire. The war is also unsettling Pakistan, which shares a restive bor...
On day seven of the war - the Israeli army announced it carried out an intensive overnight bombing campaign in Lebanon - in the southern suburbs of Beirut - as it targets Hezbollah strongholds. The militant group is allied with Iran - and has continually clashed with Israel. On March 2, the group began firing rockets at Israel.
The online betting company Polymarket is facing scrutiny over allegations of insider trading after bettors made more than 500 million dollars by accurately predicting the date (and time) of the first strikes on Iran last Saturday. Some accounts are being suspected of insider trading, particularly as Donald Trump Jr., the son of the U.S. President is also a shareholder in Polymarket, and may be inv...
The main argument used by the Americans and Israelis to justify the war with Iran has been the country's nuclear program. But where does Iran's enrichment program stand today? On Tuesday the nuclear site at Natanz was hit by airstrikes. And just days ago the Trump administration claimed that Tehran was only “a week away” from having a nuclear bomb.
Iran continues to launch attacks across the Gulf to US allies, retaliating against US strikes. Tehran has fired missiles and drones on March 6 into Kuwait, Saudia Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain - all countries that host US forces. As such many countries are trying to repatriate many of their nationals. FRANCE 24 spoke to a French expatriate based in Kuwait.
The White House is facing criticism for its messaging over the Iran war. Social media trolling and memes were already a hallmark of Donald trump's presidency. But the White House's latest videos have proved particularly offensive, as US strikes in Iran struggle to garner support.
President Donald Trump said on March 6 that only Iran's "unconditional surrender" would bring an end to the Middle East war. this comes as The Washington Post reports that Russia is providing Iran with targeting information that includes locations of U.S. warships and aircraft in the Middle East. On the eve of the first week of this war, FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert looks at where the conflict s...
In an interview with FRANCE 24, Iran's Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said Tehran had "already informed the Europeans and everybody else that they should be careful not to be involved in this war of aggression against Iran". He warned that if any country "joins America and Israel in the aggression against Iran, they will be also legitimate targets for Iran's retaliation".
Surrounded by racks of used winter coats, sweaters and household appliances, Chinese shoppers browse items at a secondhand store in Shanghai looking for bargains. Green Cycle, the secondhand garment shop that shares a mall basement with three other sellers of used fashion, is part of a growing trend fed by budget-conscious shoppers amid slowing wage growth and a years-long property crisis in the w...
The militant group Hezbollah has lost political backers in Lebanon after strikes it launched this week against Israel to honour Iran’s late supreme leader Ali Khamenei provoked a robust military response. Lack of public support for the militant group has even spread to the southern Shiite community, which is now on the frontlines of Israeli military operations.
Talking Europe sits down at the EU Commission with a man whose work goes to the very heart of what the EU sees as its core values. Michael McGrath is the Commissioner responsible for democracy, justice, the rule of law and consumer protection. His work concerns not just breaches of the rule of law in EU member states, but also the whole online dimension of democracy, including disinformation and f...
The US Justice Department on Friday released Epstein file documents detailing claims that US President Donald Trump attempted to force an underage girl into performing oral sex. The FBI interviewed the alleged victim in 2019 as part of its investigation into late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
The US House of Representatives narrowly rejected a resolution to curb President Donald Trump's powers in the Iran war, an early sign of unease in Congress over the rapidly widening conflict that is reordering U.S. priorities at home and abroad. It's the second vote in as many days, after the Senate defeated a similar measure. Lawmakers are confronting the sudden reality of representing wary Ameri...
Alison Sargent is pleased to welcome James J. Townsend Jr, the Atlantic Council's Senior Advisor in the Scowcroft Center's Transatlantic Security Initiative. He asserts that European military involvement in the widening Middle Eastern conflict should not be interpreted as entry into the war itself, but rather as a reluctant defensive response to the conflict’s spillover effects across the entire r...
More than 1,100 vessels have been hit by GPS interference across the Middle East Gulf since the start of the conflict, according to maritime firm Windward. Experts warn these attacks pose severe risks to navigation and are contributing to the de facto blockade of the strategic Strait of Hormuz.
Haxi Meyers-Belkin is pleased to welcome Kevin Charbel, Head of Première Urgence Internationale mission in Lebanon. From his vantage point, the current airstrikes in southern Lebanon are triggering a new humanitarian emergency exacerbating the prolonged national crisis. The new attacks are once again plunging Lebanon into a state of war: significant civilian casualties and the displacement of tens...
Ongoing Israeli strikes in Lebanon are the heaviest since a 2024 ceasefire ended the last war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah, who fired rockets at Israel in the opening days of the latest conflict. Tens of thousands have fled Beirut’s suburbs and southern Lebanon after sweeping Israeli evacuation warnings. FRANCE 24's Noga Tarnopolsky tells us about Israel's goals in Lebanon, from Je...
Truth is the first casualty of war. Amid an internet blackout and an ongoing crackdown by Iranian authorities, the job of independent journalists in Iran was already difficult but now with US-Israeli airstrikes, it is near impossible. A critical press offers nuance and is needed to combat state propaganda, challenge claims by US and Israeli officials, and document the killing of civilians. Our gue...
Various countries, including the United States have asked Ukraine for its expertise in countering Iran’s Shahed drones. Russia has fired tens of thousands of these drones at its neighbour since the war began just over four years ago. Ukraine's President Zelensky said they will provide assistance as long as it doesn't weaken his country' own defences.
On March 6, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a wave of strikes targeting Israeli forces, in retaliation for Israeli strikes on Lebanon the day before. It also warned Israel residents to evacuate from area within 5km of the border. Just south of it, most Israelis are determined to stay put.
Israeli authorities say the number of ballistic missiles targeting the country is declining. Since the start of the war, there have been 10 deaths, 8 serious injuries, and nearly 400 minor injuries. To treat them in record time, Israel benefits from a network of volunteer first responders that is unique in the world. FRANCE 24's correspondent Claire Duhamel accompanied them for a day.
The war in the Middle East spread to Lebanon when Hezbollah launched a rocket attack at Israel early on March 2, to "avenge" the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli attack on Tehran. Now, over 100,000 people have been displaced due to retaliatory strikes from Israel, and the Lebanese government has banned Hezbollah's military activities. FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert bre...
The war in the Middle East spread to Lebanon when Hezbollah launched a rocket attack at Israel early on March 2, to "avenge" the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in the US-Israeli attack on Tehran. Now, over 100,000 people have been displaced due to retaliatory strikes from Israel, and the Lebanese government has banned Hezbollah's military activities. FRANCE 24's Douglas Herbert bre...
