French TV Channel Apologizes for Nuclear Strike Visualization Targeting Tel Aviv

French television channel RMC Découverte has apologized and removed its documentary "New Rafale, Drones and Cannons: The Revolution in French Armaments" from all platforms after it was discovered that a 3D visualization of a nuclear strike depicted Tel Aviv as the target. The film, which aired on September 1, focused on the next generation of French weaponry, including the Rafale F5 fighter jet and the prospective ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missile. This missile is intended to be 10 to 20 times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima and have a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers, though it does not yet exist. The French General Directorate of Armament ordered its development in early June, with expected deployment around 2035.

To illustrate the weapon's capabilities, the documentary used a 3D visualization showing a fighter jet launching a missile towards a coastal city, followed by a mushroom cloud. French nuclear policy researcher Eloise Faye identified the city as Tel Aviv, not a fictional location, and alerted the broadcaster. A Jewish independent production company involved in the film reportedly sourced the explosion footage from a computer game, apparently unaware of the city depicted.

On September 18, RMC Découverte issued a statement on social media acknowledging the use of an image of Tel Aviv, Israel, instead of a fictional city, and offered its "sincere apologies." The channel stated the controversial segment was obtained from a professional image bank where it was "misidentified and cataloged." RMC Découverte announced it would remove the documentary from all platforms and suspend further broadcasts, adding it would consider legal action against those responsible for the error. An edited version without the offending segment is planned.

The incident gained wider attention after the Israeli Ambassador to France, Y Joshua Zarka, shared the clip on social media, calling it an "animated demonstration of a French nuclear strike on Tel Aviv." Zarka noted the depicted explosion was less powerful than the ASN4G missile's projected yield but suggested there was no malicious intent. Film director Alex Gari expressed deep shock, stating he was unaware the image depicted a real city in Israel and would not have used it had he known. However, the controversial clip has begun circulating online, amplified by groups hostile to Israel.