France has been a key supporter of Israel, defending its right to self-defence for years and sells an average of €20 million worth of military equipment to the country each year.
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00:00Hundreds of protesters have taken to the streets of Paris to call for an end to Israeli airstrikes
00:07in Lebanon. The rally comes as Israeli strikes across the country killed dozens of people
00:13on Sunday.
00:14Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged almost daily fire since the war in Gaza started in
00:37October, displacing tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Israel has ramped
00:43up its aerial assault on Lebanon, with more than 700 people killed in the last week alone.
00:49On Saturday, Israel moved troops close to its northern border, raising fears of an imminent
00:53ground offensive into the country. France has been a key supporter of Israel, defending
00:59its right to self-defense for years. An arms export report presented to Parliament by the
01:04Defense Ministry in 2023 showed that France had issued 767 export licenses to Israel since
01:122015. France sells an average of 20 million euros worth of military equipment to Israel
01:18each year. In April, 11 NGOs in Paris, including Amnesty International, filed a court case
01:24to stop France's arms sales to Israel, arguing that civilians in Gaza were being targeted.
01:30The court rejected that request in May.