Ligue 1: Giroud croque Monaco sur le gong, Rennes implose

Olivier Giroud a offert une victoire sur le fil à Lille contre Monaco et Rennes a été plombé par deux exclusions en début de match avant de couler 4-0 dans le derby breton à Lorient, dimanche lors de la deuxième journée de Ligue 1.On joue le début des arrêts de jeu lorsque le stade Pierre-Mauroy peut enfin exploser: Olivier Giroud vient de marquer son deuxième but en deux matches. Le champion du monde français a marqué d’une frappe puissante en pivot, à l’issue d’un match animé et équilibré.Giroud a ensuite raté un pénalty, ce qui n’aurait pas été anecdotique si le Monégasque Mika Biereth avait ensuite su convertir un bon centre à bout portant.Lille, seule équipe à quatre points, passe cinquième de Ligue 1, et laisse Monaco huitième avec trois points.Pour sa part, Strasbourg a poursuivi sur sa lancée de la saison dernière, terminée en trombe. Emanuel Emegha a permis au RCSA de s’imposer 1-0 contre Nantes à la Meinau, d’une tête croisée sur un service impeccable de Dilane Bakwa, en fin de match. L’attaquant néerlandais venait pourtant de rater une reprise à bout portant devant le but vide. Strasbourg rejoint en tête du classement le PSG, Lyon, mais aussi Toulouse.Les hommes de Carles Martinez Novell ont en effet à nouveau gagné dimanche, contre Brest cette fois (2-0) sur un doublé au retour des vestiaires de Frank Magri. Les Brestois se préparent peut-être à une saison difficile après les deux derniers exercices glorieux (troisième place puis participation réussie à la Ligue des champions). Comme un symbole, l’entraîneur Eric Roy a remplacé au cours du match le capitaine défenseur Brendan Chardonnet.De son côté, Rennes a manqué l’occasion de surfer sur sa victoire en infériorité numérique face à Marseille la semaine dernière. L’équipe entraînée par Habib Beye a été affaiblie par les deux exclusions successives, lors des 11 premières minutes, de la recrue Mahdi Camara puis de Christopher Wooh.Après avoir buté sur une défense regroupée, Lorient a déroulé et inscrit quatre buts. Les deux équipes comptent trois points.Lens s’est pour sa part bien repris de sa défaite cruelle contre Lyon le weekend dernier en allant s’imposer au stade Océane du Havre (2-1) grâce notamment au premier but en L1 du jeune Rayan Fofana, 19 ans.

Israeli strikes in Yemen’s capital kill four, Huthis say

Israeli strikes in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Sunday killed at least four people, according to the country’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel throughout the Gaza war.AFP images showed a large fireball lighting up the skies over the rebel-held capital, leaving behind a column of thick, black smoke.A spokesperson for the Huthis’ health ministry reported four people dead and 67 wounded in the Israeli raid, raising an earlier toll.A Huthi security source told AFP the strikes had targeted a building in central Sanaa. The group’s Al-Masirah TV reported they had also hit an oil company facility and a power station in Sanaa’s south already struck last Sunday.The Israeli army said it had hit a military compound where the presidential palace is located, along with two power stations and a fuel depot. The strikes were “in response to repeated attacks by the Huthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel and its civilians”, including “in recent days”, it said.Late Friday, the Huthis fired a missile that Israeli authorities said had “most likely fragmented in mid-air”.Media outlets the Times of Israel and Ynet, citing the Israeli military, reported the missile had carried a cluster warhead, the first of its kind known to have been fired from Yemen.- ‘Heart of the capital’ -The Israeli defence ministry released a photo on Sunday showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and army chief Eyal Zamir following the strikes in Yemen from a command bunker. In a statement released by his office, Netanyahu said the air force had struck “the presidential palace in the heart of the capital Sanaa, the city’s power plant and the fuel tanks that supply it”.”The terrorist Huthi regime is learning the hard way that it will pay — and has paid already — a very high price for its aggression against the State of Israel,” he said, adding “the whole region” was also learning a lesson in Israeli power.In a statement from their political bureau, the Huthis vowed to respond, saying they would “not deviate from the fight” against Israel and its ally the United States “until the aggression stops and the (Israeli) blockade on Gaza is lifted”.Iran’s foreign ministry on Sunday condemned the Israeli strikes.- ‘Compound interest’ -Since the October 2023 start of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, the Huthis have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Israel, claiming to be acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.Most of the Huthi attacks have been intercepted, but they have prompted retaliatory Israeli air strikes on rebel targets in Yemen.On August 17, Israel said it targeted an energy infrastructure site in Sanaa linked to the Huthis, with Al-Masirah reporting at the time the capital’s Haziz power station was hit.The Israeli army said the Haziz facility was also struck on Sunday.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said earlier this month that the Huthis would “pay with compound interest for every attempt to fire at Israel”.Beyond attacks on Israel itself, the Huthis have also targeted ships they say are linked to the country in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.

Frappes israéliennes meurtrières au Yémen contre des cibles des rebelles houthis

L’armée de l’air israélienne a bombardé dimanche des sites des rebelles houthis à Sanaa, faisant quatre  morts et 67 blessés, une semaine après des raids similaires sur la capitale yéménite, ont indiqué les insurgés pro-iraniens.Affirmant agir en solidarité avec les Palestiniens de Gaza, en proie à la guerre entre Israël et le Hamas, les Houthis lancent régulièrement des attaques aux missiles et drones en direction du territoire israélien, mais la plupart sont interceptés.Après les frappes, le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu a prévenu que “le régime terroriste houthi paiera un prix très élevé pour son agression contre l’Etat d’Israël”, alors que les Houthis ont averti qu’ils “riposteront” à l’attaque israélienne. “Agression israélienne sur la capitale Sanaa”, la capitale aux mains des Houthis, a écrit la chaîne des rebelles, Al-Massirah, sur X. “Plusieurs frappes ont visé une station de la compagnie pétrolière rue al-Sittine” et une “centrale électrique” dans le sud de Sanaa, déjà bombardée par Israël il y a une semaine.Le porte-parole du ministère de la Santé des Houthis, Anees Alasbahi, a fait état de d’un bilan à la hausse de quatre morts et 67 blessés.En Israël, l’armée a indiqué dans un communiqué avoir frappé “un site militaire situé dans le palais présidentiel, les centrales électriques d’Assar et de Hezyaz, ainsi qu’un site de stockage de carburant, tous utilisés pour les activités militaires”.- “La puissance d’Israël” -Le ministère israélien de la Défense a diffusé une photo montrant le Premier ministre Benjamin Netanyahu, le ministre de la Défense Israël Katz et le chef d’état-major, le lieutenant-général Herzi Halevi, suivant l’opération militaire au Yémen depuis un bunker de commandement.”Celui qui nous attaque — nous l’attaquons. Celui qui prévoit de nous attaquer — nous l’attaquons. Je pense que toute la région apprend à connaître la puissance et la détermination de l’Etat d’Israël”, a prévenu M. Netanyahu dans un communiqué de son bureau.”Nous ne dévierons pas de la lutte contre le projet aéricano-sioniste et poursuivront l’escalade jusqu’à l’arrêt de l’agression et la levée du blocus (israélien) contre Gaza”, a averti de son côté le bureau politique des Houthis dans un communiqué.Vendredi soir, les Houthis ont tiré un missile en direction d’Israël, situé à quelque 1.800 km. Les autorités israéliennes ont indiqué qu’il s’était “très probablement désintégré en plein vol”.Le Times of Israel et le site d’information israélien Ynet, citant un rapport de l’armée, ont affirmé dimanche que le missile tiré vendredi était pour la première fois équipé d’une ogive à fragmentation.Outre les tirs contre Israël, les Houthis ont repris en juillet, après une pause de plusieurs mois, leurs attaques au large du Yémen, lancées après le début de la guerre à Gaza, contre les navires qu’ils accusent de liens avec Israël.En mai, ils avaient conclu une trêve avec les Etats-Unis ayant mis fin à des mois de bombardements américains au Yémen.- L’Iran condamne -Les Houthis, qui contrôlent de larges pans du Yémen, en guerre depuis 2014, font partie d’une alliance contre Israël mise en place par l’Iran, qui comprend d’autres groupes comme le Hezbollah au Liban et le Hamas palestinien.En Iran, ennemi juré d’Israël, le ministère des Affaires étrangères a condamné “avec force” les frappes israéliennes au Yémen.Israël a mené plusieurs frappes de représailles au Yémen, ciblant des régions sous contrôle des Houthis, notamment des ports de l’ouest du pays et l’aéroport de Sanaa.Au Yémen, la guerre a fait des centaines de milliers de morts et plongé le pays le plus pauvre de la péninsule arabique dans l’une des pires crises humanitaires au monde. La guerre à Gaza, déclenchée par une attaque sans précédent du mouvement islamiste palestinien Hamas contre Israël le 7 octobre 2023, a fait des dizaines de milliers de morts dans le territoire palestinien, frappé par la famine selon l’ONU.

Israeli strikes in Yemen’s capital kill two, Huthis say

Israeli strikes in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Sunday killed at least two people, according to the country’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who have repeatedly launched missiles and drones at Israel throughout the Gaza war.AFP images showed a large fireball lighting up the skies over the rebel-held capital, leaving behind a column of thick, black smoke.The Huthis’ health ministry reported “two martyrs and 35 wounded” in the Israeli raid.A Huthi security source told AFP the air raid targeted a building in central Sanaa, while the group’s Al-Masirah TV reported that the two dead were killed in a strike on an oil company facility in the city.The channel said the targets also included a power station in Sanaa’s south that was previously hit last Sunday.The Israeli army said it had struck a military compound where the presidential palace is located, along with two power stations and a fuel depot. The strikes were “in response to repeated attacks by the Huthi terrorist regime against the State of Israel and its civilians”, including “in recent days”, it said.Late Friday, the Huthis fired a missile that Israeli authorities said had “most likely fragmented in mid-air”.-‘Heart of the capital’-Local Israeli media outlets the Times of Israel and Ynet, citing the military, reported the missile carried a cluster warhead, the first of its kind known to have been fired from Yemen.The Israeli defence ministry released a photo on Sunday showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Israel Katz and army chief Eyal Zamir following the strikes in Yemen from a command bunker. In a statement released by his office, Netanyahu said the air force had struck “the presidential palace in the heart of the capital Sanaa, the city’s power plant and the fuel tanks that supply it”.”The terrorist Huthi regime is learning the hard way that it will pay — and has paid already — a very high price for its aggression against the State of Israel,” he said, adding “the whole region” was also learning a lesson in Israeli power.In a statement from their political bureau, the Huthis vowed to respond, saying they would “not deviate from the fight” against Israel and its ally the United States “until the aggression stops and the (Israeli) blockade on Gaza is lifted”.Iran’s foreign ministry on Sunday condemned the Israeli strikes.Since the October 2023 start of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, the Huthis have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Israel, claiming to be acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.- ‘Compound interest’ -Most of the Huthi attacks have been intercepted, but they have prompted retaliatory Israeli air strikes on rebel targets in Yemen.On August 17, Israel said it targeted an energy infrastructure site in Sanaa linked to the Huthis, with Al-Masirah reporting at the time the capital’s Haziz power station was hit.The latest Israeli statement said the Haziz facility was targeted again on Sunday.A photographer working with AFP reported significant damage after the August 17 strike.Beyond attacks on Israel itself, the Huthis have also targeted ships they say are linked to the country in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden off Yemen.The group broadened its campaign to target ships tied to the United States and Britain after the two countries began military strikes aimed at securing the waterway in January 2024.In May, the rebels cemented a ceasefire with the United States that ended weeks of intense US strikes, but vowed to continue targeting Israeli ships.Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said earlier this month that the Huthis would “pay with compound interest for every attempt to fire at Israel”.

US envoy criticises France’s lack of action over antisemitism

The US ambassador to Paris has upped the pressure on President Emmanuel Macron over antisemitism in France with a letter calling the government’s action on anti-Jewish hatred insufficient, days after similar criticism from Israel.US envoy Charles Kushner’s letter to Macron was dated August 25, which he noted was “the 81st anniversary of the Allied Liberation of Paris, which ended the deportation of Jews from French soil” under Nazi German occupation.In the letter, a copy of which has been obtained by AFP, he wrote: “I write out of deep concern over the dramatic rise of antisemitism in France and the lack of sufficient action by your government to confront it…”In France, not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized,” he added.While “antisemitism has long scarred French life”, the ambassador argued that hatred of Jews “has exploded since Hamas’s barbaric assault on October 7, 2023,” which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.His remarks tally with those made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Tuesday accused Macron of fomenting antisemitism, saying it had “surged” in France following the French president’s announcement last month that he will recognise Palestinian statehood.Macron’s Elysee office was quick to hit back at Netanyahu, calling the Israeli leader’s allegation “abject” and “erroneous”.- ‘Anti-Zionism is antisemitism’ -But like Netanyahu, Kushner denounced Macron’s criticisms of Israel over the war in Gaza and his planned recognition of a State of Palestine. Such moves, he said, “embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France”.”In today’s world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism — plain and simple,” the ambassador added.”Surveys show most French citizens believe another Holocaust could happen in Europe. Nearly half of French youth report never having heard of the Holocaust at all.”What are children being taught in French schools if such ignorance persists?,” the letter read.France is home to Western Europe’s largest Jewish population at around half a million people, as well as a significant Muslim community sensitive to the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza.Both communities have reported a spike in hate crimes since Israel’s retaliatory offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the besieged coastal strip.Macron’s announcement that France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September drew a swift rebuke from Israel at the time.With the move, France is set to join a list of nations that has grown since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago.France is among at least 145 of the 193 UN members that now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.

US envoy criticises France’s lack of action over antisemitism

The US ambassador to Paris has upped the pressure on President Emmanuel Macron over antisemitism in France with a letter calling the government’s action on anti-Jewish hatred insufficient, days after similar criticism from Israel.US envoy Charles Kushner’s letter to Macron was dated August 25, which he noted was “the 81st anniversary of the Allied Liberation of Paris, which ended the deportation of Jews from French soil” under Nazi German occupation.In the letter, a copy of which has been obtained by AFP, he wrote: “I write out of deep concern over the dramatic rise of antisemitism in France and the lack of sufficient action by your government to confront it…”In France, not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized,” he added.While “antisemitism has long scarred French life”, the ambassador argued that hatred of Jews “has exploded since Hamas’s barbaric assault on October 7, 2023,” which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.His remarks tally with those made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Tuesday accused Macron of fomenting antisemitism, saying it had “surged” in France following the French president’s announcement last month that he will recognise Palestinian statehood.Macron’s Elysee office was quick to hit back at Netanyahu, calling the Israeli leader’s allegation “abject” and “erroneous”.- ‘Anti-Zionism is antisemitism’ -But like Netanyahu, Kushner denounced Macron’s criticisms of Israel over the war in Gaza and his planned recognition of a State of Palestine. Such moves, he said, “embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France”.”In today’s world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism — plain and simple,” the ambassador added.”Surveys show most French citizens believe another Holocaust could happen in Europe. Nearly half of French youth report never having heard of the Holocaust at all.”What are children being taught in French schools if such ignorance persists?,” the letter read.France is home to Western Europe’s largest Jewish population at around half a million people, as well as a significant Muslim community sensitive to the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza.Both communities have reported a spike in hate crimes since Israel’s retaliatory offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the besieged coastal strip.Macron’s announcement that France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September drew a swift rebuke from Israel at the time.With the move, France is set to join a list of nations that has grown since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago.France is among at least 145 of the 193 UN members that now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.