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Azerbaijan's President Says France to Blame if New Conflict Starts with Armenia

A handout photo made available by Azerbaijan President Press Service shows Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (L) and First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva attending a flower-laying ceremony at the memorial stone in Victory Park, which is under construction, during Remembrance Day celebrations, in Baku, Azerbaijan, 27 September 2023. EPA/AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT PRESS SERVICE
A handout photo made available by Azerbaijan President Press Service shows Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (L) and First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva attending a flower-laying ceremony at the memorial stone in Victory Park, which is under construction, during Remembrance Day celebrations, in Baku, Azerbaijan, 27 September 2023. EPA/AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT PRESS SERVICE
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Azerbaijan's President Says France to Blame if New Conflict Starts with Armenia

A handout photo made available by Azerbaijan President Press Service shows Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (L) and First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva attending a flower-laying ceremony at the memorial stone in Victory Park, which is under construction, during Remembrance Day celebrations, in Baku, Azerbaijan, 27 September 2023. EPA/AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT PRESS SERVICE
A handout photo made available by Azerbaijan President Press Service shows Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev (L) and First Lady of Azerbaijan, Mehriban Aliyeva attending a flower-laying ceremony at the memorial stone in Victory Park, which is under construction, during Remembrance Day celebrations, in Baku, Azerbaijan, 27 September 2023. EPA/AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT PRESS SERVICE

Azerbaijan's president scolded the European Union and warned that France's decision to send military aid to Armenia could trigger a new conflict in the South Caucasus after a lightening Azerbaijani military operation last month.
Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev last week pulled out of an EU-brokered meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at which Brussels said it was standing by Armenia.
But Aliyev criticized the EU's approach - and particularly France's position - when European Council President Charles Michel telephoned him, according to an Azerbaijani statement issued late on Saturday.
President Ilham Aliyev said "that due to the well-known position of France, Azerbaijan did not participate in the meeting in Granada," the Azerbaijani presidential office said, according to Reuters.
"The head of state emphasized that the provision of weapons by France to Armenia was an approach that was not serving peace, but one intended to inflate a new conflict, and if any new conflict occurs in the region, France would be responsible for causing it."
France has agreed on future contracts with Armenia to supply it with military equipment to help ensure its defenses, Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said Oct. 3 during a visit to Yerevan.
She declined to elaborate on what sort of military aid was envisaged for Armenia under future supply contracts. French President Emmanuel Macron scolded Azerbaijan, saying that Baku appeared to have a problem with international law.
Aliyev restored control over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh last month with a 24-hour military operation which triggered the exodus of most of the territory's 120,000 ethnic Armenians to Armenia.

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World

Italian PM Says Suspends Defense Agreement with Israel

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at the lower house of Parliament to report on her government’s actions and is expected to speak on the latest developments in Iran, in Rome, Italy, April 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at the lower house of Parliament to report on her government’s actions and is expected to speak on the latest developments in Iran, in Rome, Italy, April 9, 2026. (Reuters)
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Italian PM Says Suspends Defense Agreement with Israel

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at the lower house of Parliament to report on her government’s actions and is expected to speak on the latest developments in Iran, in Rome, Italy, April 9, 2026. (Reuters)
Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni speaks at the lower house of Parliament to report on her government’s actions and is expected to speak on the latest developments in Iran, in Rome, Italy, April 9, 2026. (Reuters)

Italy has suspended its defense agreement with Israel, which involves the exchange of military equipment and technology research, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and diplomatic sources said Tuesday. 

"In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defense agreement with Israel," Meloni said on the sidelines of an event in Verona, according to Italian news agencies ANSA and AGI. 

An Italian diplomatic source confirmed to AFP that the agreement had been suspended, saying: "It would have been politically difficult to keep it going." 

Approved by Israel in 2006, the agreement is reviewed every five years. 

It calls for cooperation across defense industries, education and training of military personnel, research and development and information technology, among others. 

Tensions between the two countries have risen over the past week after the Italian government accused Israeli forces of firing warning shots at a convoy of Italian UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. 

Italy summoned Israel's ambassador in protest over the incident that damaged at least one vehicle but caused no injuries. 

On Monday, Israel summoned Italy's ambassador following comments by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani that condemned "unacceptable attacks" on Lebanese civilians by Israeli forces. 

Tajani, who is deputy prime minister, was in Beirut Monday for talks with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Foreign Minister Youssef Raggi. 

He later wrote on X that he was there to "convey Italy's solidarity following Israel's unacceptable attacks against the civilian population". 

World

France, UK to Host Hormuz Talks Friday

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during Ministerial Statement on the Middle East at the House of Commons in London, Britain, April 13, 2026. (House of Commons/Handout via Reuters)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during Ministerial Statement on the Middle East at the House of Commons in London, Britain, April 13, 2026. (House of Commons/Handout via Reuters)
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France, UK to Host Hormuz Talks Friday

Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during Ministerial Statement on the Middle East at the House of Commons in London, Britain, April 13, 2026. (House of Commons/Handout via Reuters)
Britain's Prime Minister Keir Starmer speaks during Ministerial Statement on the Middle East at the House of Commons in London, Britain, April 13, 2026. (House of Commons/Handout via Reuters)

France and Britain will co-host a video conference Friday of countries ready to contribute to a "purely defensive mission" to secure the Strait of Hormuz, the French president's office said.

President Emmanuel Macron and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will co-chair the meeting to discuss a plan to "restore freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz when security conditions allow", it said on Tuesday.

A spokesman for the British prime minister's office said: "The summit will advance work towards a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard international shipping once the conflict ends."

US-Israeli strikes on Iran in late February sparked a region-wide war and brought traffic through the Strait of Hormuz to a near standstill, blocking a key route for global oil and gas shipments.

Iran and the United States last week agreed to a two-week cessation of hostilities, but ceasefire talks between the warring sides in Pakistan over the weekend ended in failure.

US President Donald Trump responded by ordering his navy to carry out a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz starting Monday.

World

School Shooting in Türkiye Leaves 16 Wounded, Attacker Dead

Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
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School Shooting in Türkiye Leaves 16 Wounded, Attacker Dead

Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)
Police forensic officers inspect a scene near the Israeli consulate in Istanbul on April 7, 2026, following a shootout between gunmen and police. (Photo by Yasin AKGUL / AFP)

An ex-student opened fire at his former high school Tuesday in Türkiye, where school shootings are rare, wounding 16 people including students before killing himself, officials said.

Special security forces were deployed to the school in southeastern Türkiye 's Sanliurfa province, where students were evacuated, the local governor, Hasan Sildak, told reporters.

Television footage showed ambulances standing by outside the school in the Siverek district as students fled the building in panic.

Sildak identified the attacker as a former student at the school, born in 2007.

"He took his own life when cornered by police," the governor said.

"We have evacuated the school and will carry out a thorough investigation into this tragic incident," he added.

Local media reported that most of the wounded were students.