An attack killed a French soldier in Erbil in Iraq's autonomous Kurdistan region, President Emmanuel Macron said on Friday. Macron added that several other soldiers had been wounded in the incident, which the French military earlier said was a drone attack on troops carrying out a training exercise. A member of the armed forces "died for France during an attack in the Erbil region of Iraq," Macron posted on X, confirming the first French military death in the Middle East war that began late last month when Israel and the United States struck Iran.
L’adjudant-chef Arnaud Frion du 7ème bataillon de chasseurs alpins de Varces est mort pour la France lors d’une attaque dans la région d’Erbil en Irak.
— Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) March 13, 2026
À sa famille, à ses frères d’armes, je veux dire toute l’affection et la solidarité de la Nation.
Plusieurs de nos militaires…
Meanwhile, The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella group of Iran-backed armed factions, claimed responsibility for downing a US military refueling aircraft in western Iraq on Thursday. The group said in a statement it had shot down the KC-135 aircraft "in defense of our country's sovereignty and airspace".
Saudi Arabia intercepted dozens of drones entering its airspace, the defence ministry said on Friday, as Iran carries out attacks on oil-rich Gulf countries in response to US-Israeli strikes. "Twelve drones were intercepted and destroyed after entering Saudi airspace," a spokesperson for the defence ministry posted on X. A wave of nine and then seven drones had also been shot down, they said in separate statements.
Newsinc24 Team





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