French TV Channel Apologizes for Nuclear Attack Simulation on Tel Aviv

French television channel RMC Découverte has publicly apologized and removed a documentary about future French weaponry from all its platforms after a 3D simulation depicting a future nuclear strike mistakenly used an image of Tel Aviv as the target city. The documentary, titled "New Rafale, Drones and Cannons: The Revolution in French Armament," aired on September 1st and explored next-generation French weapons, including the Rafale F-5 fighter jet and the future ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missile.

The ASN4G missile, which reportedly will be 10 to 20 times more powerful than the Hiroshima bomb and have a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers, is still under development, with its deployment expected around 2035. To illustrate the weapon's capability, the documentary featured a 3D simulation showing a fighter jet launching a missile towards a coastal city, followed by a nuclear mushroom cloud. French researcher Eloïse Fayolle identified the city as Tel Aviv, not a fictional location, and brought it to the channel's attention.

According to reports, the video of the explosion was sourced from a video game, and the independent production company, which is Jewish-owned, apparently used it unintentionally. RMC Découverte issued a statement on September 18th, confirming the simulation "uses an image of Tel Aviv" and expressing "sincere apologies" to viewers. The channel stated the clip was obtained from a professional image bank that had misidentified and miscategorized it. RMC Découverte also indicated it would consider legal action against those responsible for the error and plans to release a revised version of the film.

The apology came approximately 17 days after the original broadcast, which was watched by about 241,000 viewers in France. The incident gained public attention after Israel's Ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, shared the clip on social media, describing it as an "animated demonstration of a French nuclear attack on Tel Aviv," while also noting the depicted explosion's power was significantly less than that attributed to the ASN4G missile. Zarka suggested there was no malicious intent behind the use of Tel Aviv in the simulation.

The film's director, Alex Gary, expressed deep shock, stating that the image bank did not identify the location as a real city or one in Israel. He asserted that he would not have included the simulation had he known the truth. Nevertheless, the controversial clip has been amplified by anti-Israel elements.