PRESS REVIEW – Thursday, April 10: We bring you world reactions after the US and Iran signed a fragile two-week ceasefire. Many papers condemn Donald Trump’s claims of victory and highlight how once-fervent MAGA supporters are now openly criticising him on Truth Social. Also: a French magazine officialises far-right leader Jordan Bardella’s rumoured relationship with an Italian socialite.
A day after Iran and the United States concluded a fragile ceasefire, Lebanon faced intense bombardments from Israel. The Lebanese French-language daily L’Orient le Jour summed up the outrage with its headline: “The other countries sign and Lebanon bleeds.” Hundreds of people died in Israel’s 10-minute attack across the country. Israel, backed by Washington, has declared that the ceasefire does not extend to Lebanon.
The Lebanese daily Al Akhbar, close to Hezbollah, accused Israel of “blowing up the ceasefire agreement.” Meanwhile, Iran’s Tehran Times hailed the country’s “forty days of resistance,” accusing Israel and the US of violating the ceasefire hours later and justifying Iran’s continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
In Israel, the press paints a different picture. Right-wing Israel Hayom says the ceasefire leaves Israel weaker and will prevent it from achieving its objectives, warning there will be “a very heavy price to pay.” Centre-left Haaretz urges Israel’s “government of eternal darkness” to give diplomacy a chance, noting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu risks dragging Israel further into a disaster and must at least preserve appearances. Netanyahu is seen as having dragged the US into an “unwarranted and reckless adventure”, it said adding that if he does the same in Lebanon, he will make Israel the main culprit in the unfolding disaster.
In the United States, opinion pages have been highly critical of Donald Trump. The Atlantic slams his “hollow” claims of victory, arguing the conflict gave him none of his intended gains. Trump went to war to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear bomb, but Tehran emerged with what the paper calls “an arguably more powerful weapon of deterrence against future attacks”: control over the Strait of Hormuz.
The New York Times reports that even once-fervent MAGA supporters are criticizing Trump’s war on his social media platform Truth Social. After analysing some 40,000 posts, the paper notes that the platform’s small user base – around six million – amplifies the perception of direct access to Trump, allowing supporters to interact with him personally.
Finally, French far right leader Jordan Bardella has been photographed with his rumoured new girlfriend, Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon Two Sicilies, on the cover of Paris Match. The Italian socialite is the daughter of the Duke of Castro, Prince Carlo. After weeks of speculation, the pair were spotted together in Corsica and Monaco. Bardella, known for emphasising his working-class roots, has faced questions about whether the high-profile relationship is “too bling bling” for a party claiming to represent ordinary citizens. Huffington Post frames it as a carefully curated pre-electoral strategy, noting that the princess recently posted a photo with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago.
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