France tells citizens to leave Iran ‘immediately’ amid Israel war fears

Foreign ministry warns ‘increased risk of military escalation’ is likely after assassination of Hamas leader

France has told its citizens to leave Iran “immediately” amid fears that the Islamic Republic is preparing to attack Israel in response to the assassination of the leader of Hamas.
The foreign ministry called on all French nationals still in Iran to leave “as soon as possible” because of the “increased risk of a military escalation in the region”.
Gerald Darmanin, the French foreign minister, has also called for increased security for Jewish communities in France because of the “very high level of tension”.
He said that included the “many Israeli nationals” attending the Olympic Games after Hamas declared a “day of anger” on Friday, BFMTV reported.
Israel was preparing for a possible attack on Friday after Iran promised to “punish” it for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, who The Telegraph learned was killed by a remote-controlled explosive device in his guesthouse in Tehran.
Israeli ministers have been given satellite phones in preparation for an attack that could strike the country’s communication system, Ynet, an Israeli website, reported.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah was also preparing for a wider escalation to ignite, moving its military equipment into central Beirut, according to Al-Hadath, a Saudi news outlet.
An official within Iran’s Revolutionary Guards told The Telegraph that Iran was considering targeting Tel Aviv in revenge for Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran.
“Top commanders were awake all night evaluating the options. Now that Mr Haniyeh’s funeral has concluded, they are discussing practical responses,” said the official, who attended the funeral on Thursday.
The White House said Joe Biden had discussed “efforts to support Israel’s defence against threats including against ballistic missiles and drones, to include new defensive US military deployments” in a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister.
The US is also preparing to send additional combat aircraft to the region to protect both Israel and American troops from Iran and its proxies, US officials told The New York Times.
Numerous airlines have cancelled flights to Lebanon and Israel in recent days since the assassination of Haniyeh as well as Fu’ad Shukr, a top Hezbollah commander, in Beirut.
Air India announced on Friday that it was cancelling all flights to and from Israel until Aug 8, while the Polish airline LOT cancelled eight flights to Lebanon and Israel, according to the PAP news agency.
John Healey, the UK Defence Secretary, met Yoav Gallant, his Israeli counterpart, in Israel on Friday, discussing the Israel Defense Forces’ “readiness and capabilities to defend Israel on all fronts”
Mr Gallant said he emphasised the importance of “establishing a coalition in Israel’s defence against Iran and its proxies.”
Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah continued on Friday, with a drone targeting one of the militant group’s members who attempted to launch rockets toward Israel.