Mercenaries behind the assault were backed by French President Emmanuel Macron and his Benin and Ivory Coast counterparts, the Sahel state’s leader has said
Niger’s transitional leader, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, has accused France and neighboring Benin and Ivory Coast of sponsoring a “cowardly attack” on the main international airport in the Sahel state’s capital early on Thursday.
Gunfire and explosions were reported near Diori Hamani International Airport around midnight before officials said the situation had been brought under control.
Some aircraft were reportedly damaged, but no serious civilian injuries were reported. Niger’s national broadcaster said a French national was among the suspects killed in the clashes and aired footage showing several bodies on the ground.
Speaking on state television after visiting Air Base 101, next to the airport in Niamey, Gen. Tchiani named French President Emmanuel Macron, Benin’s Patrice Talon, and Ivory Coast’s Alassane Ouattara as the alleged sponsors of the assault and vowed retaliation.
“We remind the sponsors of these mercenaries, notably Emmanuel Macron, Patrice Talon, and Alassane Ouattara, that we have heard them bark long enough; they should now get ready, in turn, to hear us roar,” the military leader said.
He praised Nigerien defense and security forces, and Russian troops stationed at the base, for their “swift response” in repelling the attack. Russian forces have been deployed to the camp since 2024 after Niamey terminated a decade-old defense agreement with the US and demanded the withdrawal of roughly 1,000 American troops.
France, once the dominant external power in the Sahel, has steadily lost influence amid widespread frustration over insecurity, economic stagnation, and perceptions of foreign interference. Niger’s military leaders, along with their allies in Mali and Burkina Faso, have forced French troops to withdraw from their territories, where they had been deployed to combat jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State.
Armed, economic and media terrorism: What is France doing in Africa?Read more Armed, economic and media terrorism: What is France doing in Africa?
The leaders of the Alliance of Sahel States have repeatedly accused Paris of failed counterinsurgency efforts and of seeking to undermine their governments by cooperating with rebel factions operating in border regions.
France, Benin, and Ivory Coast have yet to respond publicly to Tchiani’s latest accusations. Last June, Benin rejected similar claims that it was working with Western powers to harbor militants aimed at destabilizing Niger and the wider Sahel, calling the allegations “unfounded.”
......more below
https://www.rt.com/africa/631749-niger-accuses-france-benin-ivory-coast-niamey-airport-attack/
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps’ (IRGC) Intelligence Unit says Iran will consider the Israeli regime’s shelters “legitimate targets” if residential areas in the country come under attack.
In a post published on social media platform X on Tuesday, the IRGC said that any strikes on residential areas in Iran would give Iran’s armed forces the right to attack Israeli shelters in the occupied lands.
The IRGC stated that it has intelligence on the blueprints and the exact locations of these shelters.
Iran began its Operation True Promise 4 after the US and Israel launched their joint military aggression against the Islamic Republic in late February by assassinating Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Sayyed Ali Khamenei, and several senior Iranian officials.
In its latest wave of attacks, the IRGC said it rained down missiles on the Israeli regime’s “secure” intelligence facilities in Tel Aviv.
Iranian armed forces have also pounded American military bases and ...
In a fresh wave of retaliatory strikes, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) targeted the Israeli regime’s “secure” intelligence facilities in Tel Aviv.
The IRGC’s Public Relations Department said in a statement on Tuesday that it had carried out the 79th wave of its ongoing retaliatory Operation True Promise 4 against the Israeli and American targets.
Deploying powerful Kheybar Shekan, Emad, and Sejjil missiles alongside IRGC Aerospace Force kamikaze drones, the operation successfully breached the regime's multi-layered air defense systems, the statement said.
The missiles, it stated, targeted Israel’s intelligence facilities in northern and central Tel Aviv, as well as military commercial and support centers in Ramat Gan and the Negev.
The missiles also hit Israel’s southern military logistics and command headquarters in Beersheba.
The missile strikes triggered widespread panic across Israel and forced the suspension of a Knesset (parliament) session on Tuesday.
...
The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) announces staging the 78th wave of its underway retaliatory Operation True Promise 4, targeting such highly sensitive Israeli targets as Dimona, Tel Aviv, and Eilat as well as several US military bases in the region.
In a statement on Tuesday, the IRGC described the latest phase of the operation as a significant development featuring missiles raining down on enemy targets as the nation was leveling momentous support behind the Islamic Republic by attending millions-strong rallies with "clenched fists."
'A distinct record'
The latest phase, it noted, "has set a distinct record in the timeline of the war."
According to the statement, targets in the occupied port of Eilat, Dimona, a heavily fortified city that hosts the Israeli regime's notorious nuclear reactor in its vicinity, and northern Tel Aviv were struck using Emad and multi-warhead Qadr missile systems along with attack drones.
This was the second time the Corps was hitting Dimona, ...
