Israeli intel chief Zini travels to France to give counterterrorism advice amid violent riots – report

Israel’s director of the domestic intelligence and counterterrorism agency, Shin Bet, traveled to France on Tuesday, following the violent unrest across the country in recent weeks.

According to a Kan News report, the visit was scheduled in advance, but discussions included counterterrorism and combating radical Islam.

French authorities estimate that hundreds of thousands took part in the violent riots in recent weeks that included clashes with police, widespread arson and rampant vandalism and looting of businesses.

According to right-wing politicians, footage from the riots as well as eyewitness accounts show that a large proportion of the predominantly young and male rioters came from the heavily migrant-background suburbs around France’s large cities, including many from Muslim countries.

Rioters have flown Algerian and Palestinian flags and sprayed pro-Palestinian graffiti.

According to Kan, Shin Bet chief David Zini met with senior officials from France’s DGSI (General Directorate for Internal Security), the French equivalent of the Shin Bet, as well as the DGSE (Directorate General for External Security), the counterpart to Israel’s Mossad.

The visit comes amid years of significant tension between the governments in Paris and Jerusalem.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday slammed world leaders for making “stupid” comments about the rioting, in a swipe widely interpreted as targeting U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

A day earlier, Netanyahu said about the riots that France “didn't prepare, and they simply gave up. They surrendered to the invasion of radical Islam.”

He also recounted that he told Macron on Oct. 7, 2023, that a diplomatic solution was out of the question as “what you have here is ISIS. Hamas is ISIS, and in some ways, even worse. And if we don't eliminate them here, you'll have them in Paris.”

“And that's exactly what's happening,” Netanyahu added.

Trump, for his part, has also blamed immigration for the crisis, saying that “If Europe doesn’t close its borders and bring the criminals out, like the people that are protesting, Europe is finished.”

“When I look at France, when you look at Italy, when you look at all the turmoil and the hatred – that’s not about school. That’s about people coming into the countries that hate the country.”

Macron hit back by claiming that “There are people who campaign at France's expense – leaders who are in campaign mode, whether here in the region or on the other side of the Atlantic.” Macron told reporters on Wednesday, while visiting the Gulf states.

Asked whether he was speaking about Trump, Macron replied: “Among others.”

Macron also claimed that AI-manipulated images were to blame for the false perception that immigration was at the root of the problem.

“There was foreign manipulation of information which led to unacceptable and even stupid comments by many, including foreign leaders,” Macron argued. “We saw images generated by AI which showed scenes that never took place in France.”

“We had people who explained that we had been 'invaded by hordes of migrants and Islamists' – which is totally false.”

The president said he would receive a detailed briefing about the unrest on Oct. 17 in a high-level meeting with Prime Minister Lecornu, ministers and intelligence officials on Thursday.

Regarding the coming weekend, authorities have planned a strongly reinforced security framework, including curfews and the deployment of the military alongside the police.

“Those who want to cause disorder in city centers next Saturday will be prevented from doing so,” Macron vowed. “There must be no wavering at the top of the state.”