France

A day after intense Israeli strikes pounded Lebanon’s capital, survivors on Thursday recounted scenes of carnage as hospitals struggled to cope with a surge of casualties. Wednesday marked the deadliest day in Lebanon in more than five weeks of renewed war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

As the Strait of Hormuz remains at a standstill Iran has affirmed that a large part of the passage contains naval mines that will explode ships passing through. Very few companies are capable of de-mining seas. But, our colleagues at France 2 met a French one who has developed a mine hunting ship that uses high-performing drones to detect and destroy mines underwater.

Speaking to FRANCE 24, Ihor Fedirko, CEO of the Ukrainian Council of Defence Industry, said Kyiv is seeking “sustainable and durable cooperation” with Gulf states on drone defence technology – a partnership he says has accelerated since the war in the Middle East. He added that Ukraine has the capacity to produce nearly $55 billion worth of weaponry annually, as it aims to reach around $10 billion in exports within five years.

Pope Leo XIV and French President Emmanuel Macron held their first meeting Friday, a private audience at the Vatican where discussions ranged from the Iran war to basketball. The French leader wanted above all to discuss "the resolution of the crisis in the Middle East" with the head of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, a spokesman for Macron's office told reporters ahead of the meeting. FRANCE 24's Seema Gupta reports.

🇭🇺 🇷🇺 🇪🇺 Is #Hungarian PM Viktor #Orban #Russia's "Trojan horse" in Europe?   🤝 Frequent official meetings with President Vladimir #Putin, staunch opposition to European aid packages to #Ukraine, a "Kremlin hotline" with live updates on #EU summits - all of these factors could play into voters' considerations ahead of Hungary's legislative elections on Sunday.   🔎 FRANCE 24 takes a closer look.

Macron's visit to Rome notably excluded any meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. The Elysée defined the visit as "republican and secular" with no bilateral political meetings with the Italian government planned.

First lady Melania Trump denied she had any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein in an extraordinary address from the White House on Thursday and dismissed online speculation that the disgraced financier and sex offender introduced her to Donald Trump. “I have never been friends with Epstein,” she said.

Nadia Massih is pleased to welcome Dr. Randa Slim, Director of the Conflict Resolution and Track II Dialogues Program at the Middle East Institute and Fellow at the Foreign Policy Institute of the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). According to Dr. Slim, Israeli strikes on Lebanon cannot be credibly framed as targeted operations against Hezbollah, but rather indiscriminate violence causing widespread civilian casualties and intensifying regional tensions. She argues that the events represent a critical inflection point within Lebanese public opinion.

Social media users are claiming that French President Emmanuel Macron circulated a photo of Melania Trump, the wife of US President Donald Trump, appearing with Jeffrey Epstein. However, the image has been digitally altered and was never shared by Macron. The misinformation began circulating after Donald Trump publicly mocked the Macrons.

Jihadists from the Islamic State (IS) group have established a stronghold in Somalia’s Puntland region, operating largely undisturbed across a vast mountainous area after setbacks in Iraq and Syria and using it as a base for wider operations in Africa and beyond. Local authorities have launched a major offensive, driving fighters from villages into cave positions amid ongoing clashes and mounting casualties, in a campaign officials say is crucial to restoring stability in Somalia and countering a broader global security threat. A report by Bastien Renouil, Will Swanson and ARTE.