The protests are part of a series of demonstrations that began last month. The French Interior Ministry reported that 195,000 people participated nationwide, with 24,000 in Paris alone. The protests have impacted regional rail and health services. While metro services in Paris remained largely normal, trains operated at limited capacity. Many teachers and healthcare workers also participated in the strike.

Protesters are primarily against the government’s planned budget cuts for the upcoming year. Trade unions are pressuring President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, who recently took office and has yet to present a detailed budget plan or appoint his ministers. Union leaders demand increased spending on public services, the reversal of the government’s decision to raise the retirement age, and higher taxes on the wealthy. More than 500,000 people marched in cities across the country last month, with unions claiming over a million striking employees and demonstrators participated in those protests. The central issue is the government’s plan to reduce spending on public services in the next budget. Unions and protesters want to avoid cuts to education, health, and other public services, advocating for higher taxes on the wealthy to alleviate the burden on the general public. Demonstrators are also calling for the government to reverse its decision to increase the retirement age, expressing a desire for greater investment in social services instead of austerity.

During a Thursday news conference, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth and Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, provided a detailed account of the planning and execution of the US strikes. The released footage included visuals of bunker buster bombs impacting the Fordow nuclear site.

Gen. Caine presented the footage, showcasing the impact of the bunker buster bombs on the Fordow site. Secretary Hegseth disputed an earlier Defence Intelligence Agency report that suggested the strikes caused only limited damage. He strongly emphasized the severity of the attacks, using terms like “decimating,” “obliterating,” and “destroying” to underscore the level of destruction. Although the damage caused by the bunker-buster bomb was not clearly visible on the surface level. The footage showcased the different types of impacts that the bombs made.

Gen Caine stated that a bomb has three main effects: blast, fragmentation, and overpressure. He elaborated that overpressure and blast were the primary mechanisms of destruction in these strikes.

Reports from the US and Israel indicate that three Iranian nuclear sites experienced substantial damage. President Donald Trump asserted that the targeted locations were obliterated during the US Air Force attacks. Despite these claims, Iran has acknowledged the strikes but downplayed the extent of the damage.