French channel apologizes after documentary depicts nuclear strike on Tel Aviv
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- French channel RMC Découverte pulled a military documentary and issued a public apology after a 3D simulation of a nuclear strike mistakenly used Tel Aviv as its backdrop.
- The broadcaster explained that the clip was extracted from a video game and incorrectly labeled in a professional image database without specifying the city.
French television channel RMC Découverte has publicly apologized and pulled a documentary on military technology from all platforms after a 3D animation illustrating a hypothetical nuclear strike was found to depict Tel Aviv.
The film, titled “Nouveau Rafale, drones et canons: la révolution dans l'armement français” (“New Rafale, Drones and Cannons: The Revolution in French Weaponry”), originally aired on September 1. The production examined next-generation French military systems, including the Rafale F5 fighter aircraft and the proposed ASN4G hypersonic nuclear missile.
To demonstrate the potential yield of the weapon, the documentary featured a 3D simulation of an aerial missile strike causing a nuclear mushroom cloud over a coastal city.
French nuclear researcher Héloïse Fayet of the French Institute of International Relations subsequently identified the rendered backdrop as Tel Aviv rather than a fictional city.
In an official statement, RMC Découverte offered its "sincere apologies," explaining that the clip was mislabeled in a professional image database:
"As soon as it was informed, RMC Découverte immediately removed the documentary from its platforms and suspended any further broadcast. A corrected version, without this sequence, will be made available shortly."
The channel added that it reserves the right to take legal action against those responsible for the licensing error.
