France shuts Israeli weapons booths at Paris Air Show
Geopolitical tensions roiled the opening of the Paris Air Show on Monday as French authorities sealed off Israeli weapons industry booths amid the conflicts in Iran and Gaza, a move that Israel condemned as "outrageous".
The decision added drama to the major aerospace industry event, which was already under the shadow of last week's deadly crash of Air India's Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Black walls were installed around the stands of five Israeli defence firms at the trade fair in Le Bourget, an airfield on the outskirts of Paris.
The booths displayed "offensive weapons" that could be used in Gaza -- in violation of agreements with Israeli authorities, a French government source told AFP.
The French government has not given its exact definition of "offensive" or attack weapons.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Israeli strike directly hit underground Natanz enrichment plant, IAEA confirms
Listen to article An Israeli airstrike on Iran's Natanz nuclear complex has directly hit the underground uranium enrichment plant, the UN nuclear watchdog confirmed on Tuesday, revising its earlier assessment. Initially, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had reported only indirect damage to the underground site, noting the destruction of an above-ground pilot enrichment facility. However, new high-resolution satellite imagery reviewed since the attacks began on Friday indicates that the underground enrichment halls at Natanz also sustained direct impacts. Iran: Based on continued analysis of high resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday's attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz. No change to report at Esfahan and Fordow. — IAEA - International Atomic Energy Agency ⚛️ (@iaeaorg) June 17, 2025 "Based on continued analysis of high resolution satellite imagery collected after Friday's attacks, the IAEA has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at Natanz," the UN body said on X. The IAEA had previously said the plant's centrifuges were likely badly damaged due to a strike on its power supply. Meanwhile, the agency reported no change at Iran's two other major nuclear facilities, Fordow and Isfahan. Fordow, a deeply buried site where uranium is enriched up to 60% — close to weapons-grade — appeared to have sustained little or no damage. In contrast, at Isfahan, several facilities were destroyed, including a uranium conversion plant that feeds material into centrifuges for enrichment. The IAEA continues to monitor the situation, though it has not been able to conduct on-site inspections.
Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
Trump seeks 'real end' to nuclear standoff with Iran
US President Donald Trump speaks as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu waves following a meeting in the White House, in Washington, US, April 7, 2025. PHOTO: REUTERS Listen to article US President Donald Trump said he wanted a "real end" to the nuclear dispute with Iran and indicated he may send senior American officials to meet with the Islamic Republic as the Israel-Iran air war raged for a fifth day. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said meanwhile that Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei could face the same fate as Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, who was toppled in a US-led invasion and eventually hanged after a trial. "I warn the Iranian dictator against continuing to commit war crimes and fire missiles at Israeli citizens," Katz told top Israeli military officials. Shortly after, Iran's state media reported an explosion was heard in Tehran. Speaking to reporters after his departure from Canada, where he attended the Group of Seven nations summit on Monday, Trump predicted that Israel would not be easing its attacks on Iran. "You're going to find out over the next two days. You're going to find out. Nobody's slowed up so far," he said. Trump said he might send US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff or Vice President JD Vance to meet with Iran. Washington has said Trump is still aiming for a nuclear deal with Iran, even as the military confrontation unfolds. Trump, who left the summit early due to the Middle East situation, said his departure had "nothing to do with" working on a deal between Israel and Iran after French President Emmanuel Macron said the U.S. had initiated a ceasefire proposal. Something "much bigger" than that was expected, he said on his Truth Social platform late on Monday. Khamenei has seen his main military and security advisers killed by Israeli air strikes, leaving major holes in his inner circle and raising the risk of strategic errors, according to five people familiar with his decision-making process. One of those sources, who regularly attends meetings with Khamenei, described the risk of miscalculation to Iran on issues of defence and internal stability as "extremely dangerous". Regional influence weakens Israel's military said Iran's military leadership is "on the run" and that it had killed Iran's wartime chief of staff Ali Shadmani overnight four days into his job after replacing another top commander killed in the strikes. Khamenei, who was imprisoned before the 1979 revolution and maimed by a bomb attack before becoming leader in 1989, is profoundly committed to maintaining Iran's Islamic system of government and is deeply mistrustful of the West. Ever since the Tehran-backed Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023 and triggered the Gaza war, Khamenei's regional influence has been weakening as Israel has pounded Iran's proxies - from Hamas in Gaza to Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq. And Iran's close ally, Syria's autocratic president Bashar al-Assad, has been ousted. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed that he will not back down until Iran's nuclear development is disabled. Before Israel launched its biggest attack ever on Iran, the UN's nuclear watchdog the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declared Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for the first time in almost 20 years. Katz said the Iranian nuclear facility at Fordow, where an enrichment site is dug into a mountain, is an issue that will "of course" be addressed. The IAEA said on Tuesday it has identified additional elements that indicate direct impacts on the underground enrichment halls at the Natanz facility, and that there was no change to report at the Fordow and Isfahan sites. Iran's Revolutionary Guards said they had hit Israel's Military Intelligence Directorate and spy agency Mossad's operational centre early on Tuesday. There was no Israeli confirmation of such attacks. Top Iranians commander killed Israel launched its air war after saying it concluded Iran was on the verge of developing a nuclear weapon. Its surprise attack has killed nearly the entire top echelon of Iran's military commanders and its leading nuclear scientists. It says it now has control of Iranian airspace and intends to escalate the campaign in the coming days. Iran has so far fired 400 ballistics missiles and hundreds of drones towards Israel, said an Israeli military official. Trump has consistently said the Israeli assault could end quickly if Iran agreed to US demands that it accept strict curbs on its nuclear programme. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons and has pointed to its right to nuclear technology for peaceful purposes, including enrichment, as a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Israel, which is not a party to the NPT, is the only country in the Middle East widely believed to have nuclear weapons. Israel does not deny or confirm that. Three people were killed and four injured in Iran's central city of Kashan in an Israeli attack, Iran's Nournews reported. Iranian officials have reported 224 deaths, mostly civilians, while Israel said 24 civilians had been killed. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said nearly 3,000 Israelis had been evacuated due to damage from Iranian strikes. Israel's military said some 24 people were killed and more than 647 were injured in Iranian attacks - with 35 missiles penetrating the defence shield and making direct hits. World oil markets are on high alert for any strikes on Iran's energy infrastructure or elsewhere in the region that could hit global supply. Two oil tankers collided and caught fire on Tuesday near the Strait of Hormuz, where electronic interference has surged during conflict between Iran and Israel, but there were no injuries to crew or spillage reported. About a fifth of the world's total oil consumption passes through the waterway. Qatar's foreign ministry spokesman said Israel's "uncalculated" attack on Iran's South Pars gas field, where production was temporarily suspended on Saturday after a fire erupted in a strike, is worrying "everyone" about supplies. Iran shares the field, the world's biggest, with Qatar. The spokesman said production was steady.
Business Recorder
an hour ago
- Business Recorder
Xi says China ‘deeply worried' about Israel-Iran conflict, urges de-escalation
BEIJING: China is 'deeply worried' about Israel's military operation against Iran that has escalated tensions in the Middle East, President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday, in his first public comments on the conflict that erupted last Friday. Xi, speaking on the sidelines of a summit with five Central Asian nations in the Kazakh capital of Astana, said China opposes any actions that infringe upon the sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity of other countries. 'All parties should work to de-escalate the conflict as soon as possible and prevent the situation from worsening further,' Xi said, in comments quoted by Chinese state broadcaster CCTV. China is ready to play a constructive role in restoring peace and stability in the Middle East, he added. Earlier on Tuesday, the Chinese foreign ministry said China had begun evacuating its citizens from Israel and Iran and was pushing for a ceasefire, as fighting continued for a fifth day. Chinese authorities are in communication with Iran, Israel and various parties to promote a ceasefire, foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told a regular press briefing. Israel says killed top Iran commander and aide to supreme leader 'China calls on all relevant parties, especially those countries that have a special influence on Israel, to shoulder their due responsibilities, take immediate measures to cool down the tense situation and prevent the conflict from escalating and spreading,' Guo said, without naming any countries. Evacuations On Tuesday, the Chinese embassy in Israel urged its citizens to return to China as soon as possible. It said many had contacted the embassy asking about the resumption of airport operations and Hainan Airlines flights. However, Israeli airspace remains closed, and the Israeli government has extended a national state of emergency until June 30, the embassy said. The notice listed several land crossing points but recommended Chinese citizens leave via Jordan. 'At present, the Israeli-Iranian conflict continues to escalate, with civilian facilities damaged and civilian casualties increasing, making the security situation even more severe,' the embassy warned in a notice on WeChat. The Chinese embassy in Iran issued a similar evacuation notice on its official WeChat account later on Tuesday. Iran's airspace is still closed, and there are risks that Iran's land border crossings will also be closed in the near future, the embassy said. The notice listed border points for people to enter Turkey, Armenia and Turkmenistan, with travel distances from Tehran ranging from 760 to 910 km (472 to 565 miles). Tehran has asked Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Oman to press U.S. President Donald Trump to use his influence on Israel to agree to an immediate ceasefire with Iran in return for Iranian flexibility in nuclear negotiations, sources have told Reuters.
