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

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.