Author: France 24

Even before the drones and missiles had reached Israeli territory, the Islamic Republic of Iran, via its paramilitary Basiji forces, had already organised state-sanctioned street parties to celebrate. A video posted half an hour before the first missiles arrived in Israel shows hundreds of people waving Iranian flags and chanting: “Supreme leader, we are ready [to go to war].” In contrast to the apparently orchestrated public events, on social media many Iranians expressed grave misgivings about the attack and the possibility of war and further economic turmoil.   Issued on: 15/04/2024 – 20:06Modified: 15/04/2024 – 20:12 6 min State-run television announced…

Gazans are slowly returning to Khan Younis after being forced to flee months ago due to intense bombardments amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. While back in familiar neighbourhoods, many Gazans are finding nothing but wreckage. Source link

Émilie Simon is a French electronic pop pioneer who emerged some 20 years ago and is known for her organic, mineral-driven compositions. On top of creating her own instruments, the award-winning artist has also signed scores for documentary films like “March of the Penguins”. She’s just released “Polaris”, her first full album in nearly a decade, which was recorded between Paris, New York, Los Angeles and Montreal. She tells Marjorie Hache about this new cosmic pop adventure through the lens of her alter ego Lucie Mercier and her winged tiger. We also talk about new releases by Taylor Swift, Pearl…

President Emmanuel Macron said Monday that France would help do everything to avoid an escalation in the Middle East after an unprecedented Iranian missile and drone attack on Israel. Iran launched its first-ever direct assault on Israeli territory late Saturday in retaliation for a deadly April 1 air strike on Tehran’s consulate building in Syria’s capital Damascus that was widely blamed on Israel. Source link

Iran’s retaliatory attack on Israel late Saturday has helped flip the current narrative involving Israel, Affiliate Research Associate at the Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation Ran Porat told FRANCE 24. “Israel was the centre of a lot of criticism of what was happening in Gaza, and now it’s again being depicted and understood to be the victim of the Iranian and its proxies: Hamas and others’ aggression,” Porat said. Source link

An Iranian missile strike on Israel late Saturday severely wounded a 7-year-old girl in southern Israel, the sole victim of the Islamic Republic’s retaliatory attack. The little girl currently in intensive care belongs to the Bedouin community, descendants of Muslim Arab shepherds who live in the Negev and are often denied many of the rights granted to other citizens. “We have no shelter,” lamented Amina’s father, who criticised Israeli authorities for leaving him and his family at the mercy of rockets and missiles. Source link

As the international community holds its breath to see Israel’s next step after an Iranian attack late Saturday involving hundreds of drones and missiles, an immediate response appears unlikely due to the “international pressure” on Israel, said Julien Barnes-Dacey, MENA Programme Director at the European Council on Foreign Relations. Barnes-Dacey also noted restraint from Iran as the Islamic Republic is “desperate not to get sucked in a direct war with Israel and the US, since October 7th”. Source link

Israel and Iran accused one another Sunday at the United Nations of being the main threat to peace in the Middle East, each calling on the Security Council to impose sanctions on their sworn enemy. While Israel accused Iran of terrorism, Iran responded saying it was exercising its right to self-defence following a deadly Syria strike that it blamed on Israel. Source link

Crude oil prices subside as traders bet that the worst is over in tensions between Iran and Israel, although fears remain. Meanwhile, investors charge into safe-haven assets like gold, and Chinese market regulators roll out new investor protections. Source link

Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel late on Saturday in its first direct attack on Israeli territory, a retaliatory strike against Israel’s bombing of its consulate in Syria’s capital on April 1 that killed seven members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. An Israeli military spokesman said Sunday the Iranian launches numbered more than 300, but 99% of them were intercepted. Source link