France has categorically denied Algeria‘s accusations that its intelligence services are recruiting former Islamic State (IS) fighters in Syria to destabilise the North African nation.

Over the weekend, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot dismissed the claims as “baseless” but confirmed that Algerian officials had summoned France’s ambassador to Algeria, Stéphane Romatet, for a formal protest.

“These are unfounded accusations. I spoke with our ambassador by phone and assured him of our full support,” Barrot told French media on Sunday.

The diplomatic spat escalated when Algerian state television aired last week footage allegedly showing French intelligence agents meeting with Mohamed Amin Isaoui, a 35-year-old former IS fighter.

In the broadcast, Isaoui reportedly confessed to being involved in what he described as a “plot orchestrated by French intelligence,” though no additional names or details were disclosed.

Algerian media also claimed that French agencies were recruiting returning fighters from Syria to form militant cells in Algeria and Niger.

While Algeria’s foreign ministry has yet to release an official statement, state-aligned publications reported that Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf issued a “strongly worded warning” to Ambassador Romatet and hinted at further responses in the coming days.

This latest dispute between Paris and Algiers comes on the heels of worsening relations. In July, Algiers scaled back its diplomatic presence in France, protesting Paris’s endorsement of Morocco’s autonomy plan for the disputed Western Sahara.

Tensions deepened after French President Emmanuel Macron visited Morocco in October and openly supported Rabat’s claims to the disputed territory against the Algerian-backed Polisario Front.

In response, Algeria restricted French imports, froze a bilateral historical commission, and cancelled a planned state visit by President Tebboune to Paris.

Foreign threats in Algeria

Algeria has made similar claims in the past, accusing Morocco, an unnamed Gulf state, and certain local Amazigh groups of conspiring to undermine its security. Analysts suggest these narratives are often used to consolidate internal power and justify the state’s fighting grip on freedoms.

“The political use [Algerian] President Tebboune makes of these crises is more about projecting himself as the indispensable leader navigating a volatile regional context,” said Hasni Abidi, director of the Geneva-based Centre for Arab and Mediterranean Studies, during the Algerian presidential election in September.

Although these foreign threats have been categorically denied by other states, Algeria‘s volatile and hostile regional environment has only fuelled such theories among its populace.

In addition to its years-long conflict with Rabat, Algeria maintains strained relations with its neighbour, the Malian junta, and faces an ongoing crisis to the east with Libyan military leader Khalifa Haftar.

The collapse of Bashar al-Assad‘s regime in Syria, one of Tebboune’s key allies, has heightened anxiety among Algeria’s political elite. Some voices are now urging a national dialogue to reconcile ties between the president and his critics—in jail and exile.

“[We need] a comprehensive dialogue that acknowledges global changes is essential. We cannot ignore the real threats posed by hostile forces,” said Abdelali Hassani, leader of the Movement for the Society of Peace, Algeria‘s largest Islamist opposition party, last week.