@tobie1 many valid points there, journos do and I sincerely would like to hope no more errors slip into reporting - quite a bit of this could be preempted if intnl journalists could operate on the ground and investigate etc
@fulelo The problem is that it's a war zone and having international journalists operating freely on the ground would impede with the effort to identify military targets and protect civilians. I have no doubt that this is a paramount consideration for the IDF whereas Hamas wants as many civilian casualties as possible to delegitimize Israel and legitimate itself.
Were I a journalist, I'd weigh all reports and the interests of the parties making them before stating anything as fact.
I think a few prev mistakes specifically in this war have made most respected news organisations double-triple check their info as carefully as possible - with very limited sources on the ground
I used to be one of those journos who the warring parties considered an annoying element but without us on the ground it is increasingly hard to verify facts
#Iran had warned that #Israel would be "punished" for a strike on its consulate in #Syria on 1 April
Seven Revolutionary Guards, including two generals, and six Syrians were killed in the Damascus attack
Israel has acknowledged carrying out hundreds of strikes in recent years on targets in Syria that it says are linked to Iran but has not claimed the Damascus strike
#TheGlobalJigsaw has looked into how Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps or #IRGC, the #Quds force and the #Basij militias operate and how have they become so influential. We examined the ideological blueprint of the #Tehran-led influence network that has been shaping events in the Middle East for decades:
Latest #IDF stmt: #Iran launched UAVs from within its territory toward #Israel. The IDF is on high alert and is monitoring the operational situation.
The IDF Aerial Defense Array is on high alert, along with IAF fighter jets and Israeli Navy vessels that are on a defense mission in Israeli air and naval space. The IDF is monitoring all targets.
We ask the public to adhere to and follow the instructions of the Home Front Command and the official IDF announcements regarding the matter."
Marine 1 is about to land w President Biden at Andrews airbase as he returns to the White House to meet his NatSec team in regards to the #Iran related escalation #MENA#Israel
V BBC's Frank Gardner:
'This is exactly the escalation in the simmering conflict between #Iran, its proxies and #Israel that everyone feared: a direct attack by one nation against another.
Israel has several layers of air defences and it has vowed to respond to any attack.
The risk now is that this tit-for-tat continues to escalate into a full-blown regional war, something most governments in the region have been trying hard to avoid ever since the #Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October.'
V NYTimes:
' #Iran ’s defense minister, Mohammad Reza Ashtiani, told state television that any country that allows its airspace to be used for attacks on Iran will be a target. “Any country that allows its airspace or soil to be used for #Israel to attack Iran will receive a firm response from us.”
#IDF Home Front Command instructions might be indicative about possible aim by #Iran :
'residents of the northern Golan Heights, the Nevatim area, Dimona and Eilat should stay near shelters until further notice, and wait the compulsory 10 minutes in case of alarm.'
#Iran 's UN mission stmt - verbatim:
"Conducted on the strength of Article 51 of the UN Charter pertaining to legitimate defense, Iran’s military action was in response to the Zionist regime’s aggression against our diplomatic premises in Damascus. The matter can be deemed concluded. However, should the #Israeli regime make another mistake, Iran’s response will be considerably more severe. It is a conflict between Iran and the rogue Israeli regime, from which the U.S. MUST STAY AWAY!"
(Cont.)
In last week's #TheGlobalJigsaw we attempted to deconstruct #Iran 's narrative + the ideological blueprint and tools of the Islamic Republic - it is worth a listen to understand the current push and pull tactics:
@fulelo I would never put it that way, bearing with you. I can't believe the insight that you guys have given me. I don't know how you do it. I never wanted news to confirm my viewpoint, I just want the truth. And you are delivering that. Thank you.
'British fighter jets and aerial refueling planes based in Cyprus have taken over much of the counterterrorism mission in the skies over Iraq and northeastern #Syria , freeing up American warplanes normally operating there to help defend #Israel against the #Iranian drone attack on Saturday, a British official said.'
#IDF spox Hagari says over two hundred 'killer drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles have been launched against #Israel
from Iran. Most were intercepted outside Israeli airspace. A very small number of missiles hit Israeli territory with minor damages to a military base in southern Israel
This is uncharted territory fraught with risk and unpredictability.
#Iran and #Israel have fought shadow wars for decades, but for the first time Iran is now targeting Israel directly from #Iranian soil.
This is no longer a confrontation led by Iran’s array of powerful proxies across the region against an enemy which has long kept silent about its own attacks on Iranian assets and targeted assassinations.
(Cont.)
' #Israel describes #Iran as the world’s greatest sponsor of terrorism; for Iran, hostility towards Israel, what it calls the “Zionist regime” is a core tenet of its 1979 revolutionary doctrine.
The risk of confrontation had risen with every month the #Gaza war has ground on.
Iran has long prided itself on playing a long game, on exercising “strategic patience".
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has avoided all-out war ever since he came to power in 1989.'
What happened in the last few hours: #Israel says that around 300 drones and missiles were fired by #Iran, and that some of the launches also came from #Iraq and #Yemen
Videos showed explosions and fireballs over #Jerusalem as Israeli air defences worked to defeat Iran's unprecedented attack
This is the first time #Tehran has directly attacked Israel after years of waging proxy wars with its affiliates, including Hezbollah and Hamas
#China has now weighed in as well: #Beijing said it was "deeply concerned about the current escalation", adding it called on "relevant parties to remain calm and restrained to avoid further escalation of tensions".
It has close diplomatic and economic ties w #Iran - and the US had been calling on Beijing to urge #Tehran not to launch a retaliatory attack on #Israel
However, US officials had privately said they had seen no evidence that China had applied pressure on Iran, acc to the FT
President #Biden said that he will convene the #G7 leaders on Sunday "to co-ordinate a united diplomatic response to #Iran 's brazen attack" on #Israel
Biden said that while the US has not seen attacks on its facilities, it "remains vigilant to all threats".
"We will not hesitate to take all necessary action to protect our people," Biden says.
Meanwhile the UN Security Council will convene on Sunday too for an emergency meeting over Iran's drone and missile attack on Israel
#Hamas "is continuing to exploit the tension with #Iran , and is striving to unite the sectors and achieve a general escalation in the region", the statement continues.
" #Israel will continue to strive to realize the objectives of the war with #Hamas with full force, and leave no stone unturned to return the 133 hostages from #Gaza forthwith."
V NYTimes:
"A total of 12 people were brought in to the Soroka Medical Center in southern Israel overnight, according to a hospital spokeswoman, Inbar Gutter. One — a 7-year-old girl — was seriously injured by missile fragments, taken to the operating room, and is currently in intensive care. Eight other people were treated for minor injuries.'
V WaPo:
' #Hamas on Sunday expressed support for #Iran ’s attack on Israel, calling it a “natural right” and a deserved response to an #Israeli strike on #Iranian diplomatic compound in #Syria. The militant group called upon Arab and Islamic nations to continue their support in its fight against #Israel '
BREAKING: The #Israeli army says they have “operational control of the #Gaza side of the #Rafah crossing”, according to an Israeli Defense Forces ( #IDF ) official.
Earlier Israeli tanks moved in on the area, which is the southernmost post of exit from #Gaza and borders #Egypt
@fulelo
October 7th was not only a militarily precise attack on Israel, not only a massacre of civilians, the abduction of over 200 people, but also the start of the goal of destroying Israel in the Middle East. To do this, the terrorists need allies. The meeting in Damascus shows these connections. This was probably the background to the attack on the embassy. See the New York Times statement.
@fulelo After listening to that episode, I began noticing details in articles that were not about Iran, but showed the negative impact of their interference on other countries. For example, the BBC article about the reporter who returned to a changed Syria, and another article describing how the houthi attacks on shipping are impacting supply chains in parts of Africa and disrupting some aid to Sudan. I am looking forward to the next segment
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