French TV Channel Apologizes for Nuclear Simulation Targeting Tel Aviv
French channel RMC Découverte apologized and removed a documentary after a 3D simulation of a nuclear strike mistakenly used Tel Aviv as the target.
French TV Channel Apologizes for Nuclear Simulation of Tel Aviv
The French television channel RMC Découverte has issued a public apology and removed a documentary from all platforms after it was revealed that a 3D simulation depicting a future nuclear strike used Tel Aviv as the target city. The documentary, titled "Nouveau Rafale, drones et canons : la révolution dans l'armement français," aired on September 1 and focused on next-enerating French weapons systems, including the Rafale F-5 fighter jet and the future ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missile.
The missile, which is reportedly intended to have a destructive power 10 to 20 times greater than the Hiroshima bomb and a range exceeding 1,000 kilometers, does not yet exist physically. According to reports, the French procurement agency DGA commissioned its development in early June with an expected entry into service around 2035. To illustrate the weapon's capability, the production utilized a 3D simulation showing a fighter jet launching a missile at a coastal city, followed by a nuclear mushroom cloud.
"We are immediately removing the documentary from all platforms and suspending any further broadcast." — RMC Découverte
French researcher Eloïse Fayolle identified that the city depicted in the simulation was not a fictional location, but rather Tel Aviv, and brought the matter to the attention of the network. Following protests and intervention by Israel's Ambassador to France, Joshua Zarka, the channel removed the video and issued an apology, stating that the clip had been sourced from a professional image library that misidentified and cataloged the footage incorrectly.
