Olivier Cadic, Senator of the French living abroad
This is not just another crisis we are experiencing in the Middle East. It is a strategic shift. Since February 28, 2026, there has been an open conflict between the United States and Israel against Iran, marking the end of several decades of indirect confrontations. We are now in an escalating regional war that threatens the global balance.
This conflict did not emerge out of nowhere. Since the Islamic revolution of 1979, the Iranian regime has made hostility towards Israel a cornerstone of its foreign policy, relying on armed proxies: Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, Iraqi militias, and the Houthis in Yemen to project its power. This strategy is combined with the Iranian nuclear program, an existential threat to Israel and the United States. It is this combination that has led to the current rupture.
The conflict now extends far beyond its initial protagonists. Iranian strikes have hit Qatar, a producer of 20% of the world’s liquefied natural gas (LNG), and targeted the United Arab Emirates with 40% of the attacks. The Strait of Hormuz, through which 20% of global oil flows, has become a critical point of tension. The risk of a global economic shock is very real.
In Lebanon, Hezbollah has unilaterally decided to enter the conflict, engulfing a country where neither the authorities nor the population wanted this war. Its operations are now directed by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards. This speaks volumes about the loss of sovereignty and the political deadlock. I ask directly: can we call for respect for Lebanese sovereignty without calling for the dissolution of Hezbollah, obedient to a foreign power?
Behind these geopolitical balances are our fellow countrymen, nearly 400,000 French people in the region. 70% have stayed. They are not fleeing, they are holding on, organizing themselves. I want to tell them: “France stands by your side.” I also want to pay tribute to Chief Warrant Officer Arnaud Frion, who died for France, and to his injured comrades.
France claims to be a power. It cannot just stand by and observe.
