![]() |
|
France sends aircraft carrier amid new Israel, Iran attacks: Latest developments in Middle East war Paris, France, March 3 (AFP) Mar 03, 2026 French President Emmanuel Macron ordered an aircraft carrier group to the Mediterranean in response to the widening Middle East conflict and said the US-Israel strikes on Iran were outside international law. Israel hit targets across Tehran as President Donald Trump boasted of widespread damage and said it was "too late" for talks. Here are the latest developments: - US, Israel acted 'ouside internationl law' - Macron said US and Israel had acted outside international law in attacking Iran. He ordered the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle and frigates to the Mediterranean near Cyprus and said French forces had shot down drones early in the war to protect allies in the Gulf. - Israel struck 'covert' nuclear site - Israel claimed it struck an underground nuclear site on the western outskirts of Tehran where it said scientists were developing a key component for an atomic weapon. "In the site, a group of nuclear scientists operated covertly to develop a key component for nuclear weapons," Israel's military said, adding the scientists had been working at the underground location since Israel struck Iranian nuclear sites in June.
Iran fired 'a large number of missiles and drones' at Israel, the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement. Iran is ready for a long war and has yet to use its most advanced weapons, its defence ministry said. - Israel's airspace to 'gradually' reopen - Israel's transport minister said the country will gradually reopen its airspace overnight between Wednesday and Thursday.
Iranian media announced that supreme leader Ali Khamenei is to be buried in Iran's second-largest city Mashhad. No date for the burial was disclosed.
Israel army chief says will continue attacking Hezbollah until it is disarmed, as the military said several projectiles had been fired from Lebanon towards Israel, adding that most were intercepted.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told state-run TV that Iran's indiscriminate bombings across Gulf states was the 'wrong strategy' and "significantly increases the risk in the region". He said the United States should limit its attacks to undermining Iran's military capabilities as forcing regime change would bring "risks" to the region.
US-Israeli strikes damaged the airport in the southern Iranian city of Bushehr, Iran's Mehr news agency reported. It said an Airbus plane and another aircraft, as well as the airport terminal had been damaged.
An air strike hit a military base in southern Iraq housing the Iran-backed Kataeb Hezbollah group, a source from the armed faction said. The Jurf al-Nasr base, which serves as one of the main bastions of the powerful Tehran-backed group, has been struck several times since the start of the war on Saturday.
"Just about everything's been knocked out," Trump said of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, as he met German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Washington. Trump told reporters he acted to stop Iran attacking first, and "might have forced Israel's hand".
Trump said two waves of US-Israeli attacks on Iran had killed figures he had eyed as potential new leaders. "Most of the people we had in mind are dead," Trump said. He said the "worst case" would be "somebody takes over who's as bad as the previous person".
EU and Gulf foreign ministers will hold video talks on Thursday, officials told AFP.
Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged de-escalation in a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, Moscow said.
Britain will send a warship and helicopters with anti-drone capabilities for "defensive operations" to Cyprus after a UK military base there was hit by a drone, Prime Minster Keir Starmer said.
Iranian media said central Tehran was struck, as well as the religious city of Qom, where the building used by the official body that select Iran's new supreme leader was hit.
Trump said that it was "too late" for talks with Iran, writing on his Truth Social platform that Iran's "air defense, Air Force, Navy, and Leadership is gone" "They want to talk. I said 'Too Late!'" Trump said -- two days after saying he had agreed to talks.
|
|
|
Sidekick autonomy software guides YFQ-42A test mission for CCA program
Infleqtion lists shares on NYSE as neutral atom quantum firm
Top Chinese gaming companies continue to challenge |
Sateliot books Spanish Miura 5 launch for two next gen Trito satellites in 2027
New Wenchang lunar pad completes first Long March 10 test
Exolaunch to deploy five satellites on Spectrum mission from Norway |
Mars relay orbiter seen as backbone for future exploration
Curiosity Blog, Sols 4798-4803: Back for More Science
UAE extends Mars probe mission until 2028 |
ASII launches national geospatial digital twin for Australian agriculture
Vantor adds Google Earth AI models to Tensorglobe for secure mission support
China rolls out BeiDou satellite messaging for emergency use |
Sidekick autonomy software guides YFQ-42A test mission for CCA program
Sateliot books Spanish Miura 5 launch for two next gen Trito satellites in 2027
US labs map liquid metal path to future fusion power plants |
Study questions assumptions about hidden alien technosignals
Einstein probe catch may show black hole shredding white dwarf
Cheops spots inside out exoplanet quartet |
New Wenchang lunar pad completes first Long March 10 test
Chang'e-6 farside samples reshape lunar impact history
Aitech and Teledyne expand partnership on space grade SP1 computing platform |
Carbon fibers bend and straighten under electric control
Autonomous TerraScout robot delivers real-time field prescriptions
OpenAI hires creator of 'OpenClaw' AI agent tool |
Valen array advances multi-mission sensing tech
Satellite radar maps reveal rapid delta land loss
Airbus taps Synspective SAR radar network for expanded Earth imaging |
Southern Indian Ocean waters lose salt as climate shifts currents
India's tougher AI social media rules spark censorship fears
Struggling farmers find hope in India co-operative |
Australian defence firm helps Ukraine zap Russian drones
NATO trains storming Baltic beach to deter Russia
Madagascar's new leader in Moscow for talks with Putin |
Top Chinese gaming companies continue to challenge
New Wenchang lunar pad completes first Long March 10 test
China retrieves Long March 10 booster from South China Sea after test flight |
|
All rights reserved. Copyright Agence France-Presse. Sections of the information displayed on this page (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any way commercially exploit any of the content of this section without the prior written consent of Agence France-Presse.
|