French President Emmanuel Macron is holding a press conference at the Élysée Palace in Paris on June 13, 2025, after Israel launched a massive attack on Iran. (Credit: Michel Euler/AFP)
The tone was much more conciliatory than it was in recent months. During a press conference Friday night following Israel's unprecedented attack on Iran, Emmanuel Macron said that Israel had the right to defend itself and even acknowledged the "long-sought effects" of the Israeli strikes against Tehran's nuclear capabilities, suggesting his country's participation "in the protection and defense operations" of the Hebrew state in case of Iranian "retaliation."On May 19, the French president threatened Israel with sanctions for its blockade of Gaza, and the prospect of him recognizing a Palestinian state significantly strained bilateral relations. Five days earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Macron of siding with a "murderous Islamist terrorist organization" after the...
The tone was much more conciliatory than it was in recent months. During a press conference Friday night following Israel's unprecedented attack on Iran, Emmanuel Macron said that Israel had the right to defend itself and even acknowledged the "long-sought effects" of the Israeli strikes against Tehran's nuclear capabilities, suggesting his country's participation "in the protection and defense operations" of the Hebrew state in case of Iranian "retaliation."On May 19, the French president threatened Israel with sanctions for its blockade of Gaza, and the prospect of him recognizing a Palestinian state significantly strained bilateral relations. Five days earlier, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Macron of siding with a "murderous Islamist terrorist organization" after the...