Syrian rebels aiming for 'conservative Islamist proto-state', analyst says

03/12/2024 22:26 France 24

Syrian rebel forces arrived at the gates of the key city of Hama on Tuesday, as their fighting with the military sparked "a large wave of displacement", a war monitor said. FRANCE 24's Sharon Gaffney speaks to Aaron Y. Zelin, Senior Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He says that rebels from the HTS group have undergone “professionalisation” of their military and aim to recreate a conservative Islamist proto-state, rather than focusing on "global jihad".

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What to know about the resignation of Joe Kent, counterterrorism chief and Trump loyalist

The head of the US's National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, resigned from his post on Tuesday in opposition to the Trump administration's war on Iran. The former staunch Trump supporter said he could not support the war as "Iran posed no imminent threat" to the US....

18/03/2026 12:57 France 24

War in Ukraine: Zelensky visits Madrid for talks with PM Sanchez

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will visit Madrid on Wednesday for talks with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, sources in the PM's office said. His visits to Spain are part of his efforts to rally diplomatic and military support from Western allies since the full-scale war broke out in...

18/03/2026 11:22 France 24

Iran firing banned cluster bombs at Israel

Iran targeted Tel Aviv with missiles carrying cluster warheads in what it said was retaliation for Israel's assassination of Iran's security chief Ali Larijani, Iranian state television reported on Wednesday. The attack on densely populated Tel Aviv overnight on Tuesday killed two people, bringi...

18/03/2026 11:17 France 24

Trump fumes at NATO for refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday NATO and most other allies have rejected his calls to help secure the Strait of Hormuz, grousing that he has been unable to rally support behind his war of choice in Iran that he insists he's conducting for the good of the world, even if it doesn't appreciate...

18/03/2026 11:17 France 24

BTS fever grips Seoul as boy band return after four-year hiatus

The long-awaited return to the stage of K-pop sensation BTS is set to boost South Korea's tourism and consumer economy. Our regional correspondents report. But first: the war in Iran upends the spring travel season for airlines and passengers alike, and investors await the latest rate call from the...

18/03/2026 11:01 France 24

'Shield for Europe: We protect not only Ukraine, but the whole of Europe', says Dr Iryna Mudra

As Volodymyr Zelensky meets with European leaders to strengthen Ukraine's alliances, Mark Owen is pleased to welcome Dr. Iryna Mudra, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine. According to Dr. Mudra, Ukraine’s struggle goes beyond defending its own territory; it remains a frontline o...

18/03/2026 10:59 France 24

Morocco taking AFCON title from Senegal dubbed 'joke of the century'

PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, March 18, 2026: The Africa Cup of Nations has seen another unbelievable turn as the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has stripped Senegal of their 2025 African Champions title, to give it to Morocco. Also, the Guardian reveals that the UK took part in negotiation...

18/03/2026 10:41 France 24

Top US official resigns over Trump's war, says Iran posed no imminent threat

Joe Kent, the director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his resignation on Tuesday, citing his concerns about the justification for military strikes in Iran and saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war. “Iran posed no imminent threat to our...

18/03/2026 10:30 France 24

Iran strikes Tel Aviv with cluster warheads in retaliation for killing of security chief

18/03/2026 10:27 France 24

On the ground: Lebanon says Israel struck without warning, killing at least 10 in Beirut

Israel stepped up airstrikes in central Beirut on Wednesday, killing at least 10 people and destroying a 10-storey building, Lebanese authorities said, in attacks that shook the capital in the third week of Israel's war with Hezbollah. FRANCE 24's Claire Paccalin reports from the site of a strike....

18/03/2026 10:26 France 24

Starmer says 'focus must remain on Ukraine' despite war in Iran after talks with Zelensky

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that international attention must remain on Ukraine's fight against Russia despite the US-Israeli war with Iran. The two leaders met in London and signed a new defence partnership focused on countering drones....

18/03/2026 02:31 France 24

Live: Iranian intelligence minister Khatib killed overnight, says Israel

Iranian intelligence minister ‌Esmail Khatib ⁠was "eliminated" in ‌a strike overnight, ⁠Israel's ⁠Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday. Iran has not yet confirmed ‌Khatib's reported death. The news comes after Israeli strikes on central Beirut – which came without...

18/03/2026 01:30 France 24

Top Iranian officials killed in Israeli airstrike in wartime blow to country's leadership

Iran has confirmed the deaths of two senior security officials, considered among the most powerful figures in the country, in overnight strikes: Ali Larijani, secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, and General Gholamreza Soleimani, head of the Revolutionary Guard’s Basij force....

17/03/2026 21:18 France 24

Trump team applying pressure to media: Tell the war's story the way we see it

Speaking with FRANCE 24's Monte Francis, Robert Corn-Revere, Chief Counsel for the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, explains that the FCC pressure on news organisations "is simply a threat being wielded by a powerful regulator to try to condition the behaviour of broadcast stations"...

17/03/2026 20:43 France 24

War in Iran exposes cracks in Trump's MAGA coalition

17/03/2026 20:36 France 24

'I tell my children it’s just thunder': How ordinary Iranians are dealing with war

As US and Israeli airstrikes continue to pound Iran, many residents there live in fear, choosing to limit outings as much as possible. France 24's Carys Garland and Ludovic de Foucaud take a look at how one family are trying as best they can to continue life as normal amid the constant threat of bo...

17/03/2026 16:14 France 24

Top US counterterrorism official resigns over Iran war

The director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center, Joe Kent, has announced his resignation, saying he “cannot in good conscience” back the Trump administration’s war in Iran. Kent said on social media that Iran “posed no imminent threat to our nation, and it is clear that we started...

17/03/2026 16:11 France 24

Larijani's death would be a 'significant blow' but may not deter Iran

Israel said Tuesday it had killed Iran's powerful national security chief, Ali Larijani, in what would be a huge blow to the Islamic republic, but probably not one that would deter Tehran from continuing the war against Israel and the US, says France 2''s correspondent in the Iranian capital Reza S...

17/03/2026 15:05 France 24

British photographer Mark Neville on documenting four years of war in Ukraine

A British photographer who has spent the last four years living under near-daily attacks on Kyiv has told FRANCE 24 that his nervous system has adapted to the war in Ukraine. Mark Neville says he feels he now has an advantage over people living in the rest of Europe, as his body has naturally adapt...

17/03/2026 14:40 France 24

Britain hit by ‘unprecedented’ meningitis outbreak, two students dead

Britain has been hit by an “unprecedented” meningitis outbreak, the country’s health minister warned Tuesday after two students died from catching a rare bacterial strain of the disease. So far, 15 cases have been reported. The outbreak has been linked to a Canterbury nightclub....

17/03/2026 14:35 France 24

Trump seeks to delay China visit as Beijing rebuffs Hormuz demands

US President Donald Trump on Monday said he is seeking to delay a highly anticipated trip to China in early April by about a month because of the Iran war. It comes after Trump called on numerous nations, including China, to help ships safely transit the Strait of Hormuz, a request that so far has...

17/03/2026 14:21 France 24

Larijani's death would mean 'Iran's leadership very much infiltrated by Israeli intelligence'

Israel said Tuesday it had killed Iran's powerful national security chief, Ali Larijani, in what would be a huge blow to the Islamic republic more than two weeks into the war engulfing the Middle East. It would also suggest Iran's senior leadership has been infiltrated by Israeli intelligence, says...

17/03/2026 13:43 France 24

Iran's Larijani - A pillar of power working from the shadows

Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, whom Israel claimed Tuesday to have killed in a strike, was a Ayatollah Ali Khamenei's right hand man and, following the supreme leader’s death early in the war, was believed to be effectively running the country. France 24’s Delano D’Souza takes a look a...

17/03/2026 13:42 France 24

Decades of deployment: America's extensive military presence in the Middle East

As yet another war rages in the Middle East, we take a closer look at the United States' military presence across the region. It's a presence that stretches back decades, but took on heightened visibility during the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s, when both those nations began targeting oil tankers and...

17/03/2026 13:23 France 24

Guy Poran urges international community to demand Israeli govt end settler violence in West Bank

Eve Irvine is pleased to welcome Guy Poran, former Israeli Air Force Pilot, human rights activist and volunteer for Israeli peace activist group Mistaclim. According to Poran, the situation in the West Bank has entered a dangerous phase, following wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. He says the Israeli...

17/03/2026 12:32 France 24

'Coalition of the unwilling': Allies refuse to clean up Trump's Strait of Hormuz mess

PRESS REVIEW – Tuesday, March 17: Donald Trump has called on US allies to help the US secure the Strait of Hormuz as the energy crisis intensifies. But after those allies refused to help, Trump promptly threatened NATO. In the midst of the EU's energy crisis, Belgium's prime minister has suggest...

17/03/2026 11:29 France 24

US embassy in Baghdad attacked as Iraq pulled deeper into Mideast war

A drone and rocket attack targeted the US embassy in Baghdad early Tuesday, while a strike killed four people at a house reportedly hosting Iranian advisors, security officials said, pulling Iraq deeper into the Middle East war....

17/03/2026 09:59 France 24

'Like buying a ticket to the Titanic': EU leaders reject Trump's Hormuz demands

EU leaders have almost universally rejected US president Donald Trump’s demand to send warships to escort oil tankers through the Strait of Hormuz as the continent’s leaders strive to stay out of the war in the Middle East, with one French official going as far to say that participating now wou...

17/03/2026 09:56 France 24

Middle East war live: Israel killed Iran’s security chief Ali Larijani, Defence Minister Katz says

Israel has killed Iran's powerful national security chief Ali Larijani in an overnight strike, Defence Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday. Gholamreza Soleimani, the head of Iran's volunteer Basij paramilitary force, was reportedly also killed in a strike. Iran has not yet commented on Israel's claim...

17/03/2026 03:13 France 24

Oil eases amid signs Iran is allowing some tankers to pass through Strait of Hormuz

Global oil prices fell sharply on Monday after a Pakistan-bound oil tanker passed through the Strait of Hormuz with its transponder on. The decline came even as countries have so far rebuffed Donald Trump's request to send warships to escort vessels through the waterway. Meanwhile, the Internation...

16/03/2026 21:57 France 24

BREAKING NEWS

18/03 12:57 - What to know about the resignation of Joe Kent, counterterrorism chief and Trump loyalist 18/03 12:41 - First Thing: Trump says US does not need Nato after strait of Hormuz rebuf | Clea Skopeliti 18/03 12:41 - Starmer says Tory shadow minister should be sacked for criticism of Muslims praying in Trafalgar Square– UK politics live 18/03 12:35 - Why did Trump’s counterterrorism chief resign over Iran war? 18/03 12:35 - Why did Trump’s counterterrorism chief resign over Iran war? 18/03 12:23 - Not just energy: How the Iran war could trigger a global food crisis 18/03 12:23 - Not just energy: How the Iran war could trigger a global food crisis 18/03 12:22 - Trump nominee Mullin expected to get quick confirmation to replace Noem at DHS – US politics live 18/03 12:20 - News24 | US Chief Justice warns of dangerous ‘personally directed hostility’ after Trump criticism 18/03 12:00 - US spending on first week of Iran war raises stark questions about priorities 18/03 11:42 - Israel’s ‘Decapitation’ Strategy, and the Trump Official Who Resigned Over the War 18/03 11:22 - War in Ukraine: Zelensky visits Madrid for talks with PM Sanchez 18/03 11:17 - Iran firing banned cluster bombs at Israel 18/03 11:17 - Trump fumes at NATO for refusing to help secure the Strait of Hormuz 18/03 11:01 - BTS fever grips Seoul as boy band return after four-year hiatus 18/03 10:59 - 'Shield for Europe: We protect not only Ukraine, but the whole of Europe', says Dr Iryna Mudra 18/03 10:41 - Morocco taking AFCON title from Senegal dubbed 'joke of the century' 18/03 10:30 - Top US official resigns over Trump's war, says Iran posed no imminent threat 18/03 10:27 - Iran strikes Tel Aviv with cluster warheads in retaliation for killing of security chief 18/03 10:26 - On the ground: Lebanon says Israel struck without warning, killing at least 10 in Beirut 18/03 10:20 - Colombian president says Gaza was an ‘experiment’ for wider destruction 18/03 10:20 - Colombian president says Gaza was an ‘experiment’ for wider destruction 18/03 10:12 - The Kent warning: When truth escapes the war machine 18/03 10:12 - The Kent warning: When truth escapes the war machine 18/03 10:00 - News24 | Iran warns of ‘wave of global repercussions’ in war with Israel and US 18/03 09:28 - Fuel rations and no air con: south-east Asian nations race to conserve energy 18/03 09:23 - He Lost a Leg for Russia. 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Will It Work? 17/03 21:00 - 'Why did this happen to my innocent four-year-old?': Inside Iran's children's wards 17/03 20:58 - Cutting jury trials risks ‘undermining justice’ for abused women and girls, Lammy warned 17/03 20:46 - EU and NATO leadership ‘worst in decades’ – El Pais columnist 17/03 20:43 - Trump team applying pressure to media: Tell the war's story the way we see it 17/03 20:39 - Starmer Turns His Attention To Ukraine (Or Tries To) 17/03 20:36 - War in Iran exposes cracks in Trump's MAGA coalition 17/03 20:24 - Democrats urge windfall tax as big oil set to make billions from Iran war 17/03 20:16 - Senior official openly breaks with White House, resigns over war 17/03 20:08 - Could the Iran war keep Netanyahu in power for longer?