Wetherhorn

Indian TV pointed out that much media coverage of the current war in Iran is being driven by an effort to make more media viewer points and gain more economically as a result. This appears to be especially true for American coverage. Here are a few items that US media may have overlooked or under-reported

Iran has been evacuating their diplomatic and embassy staff from Lebanon..Turkish airlines has been cited as one carrier involved, but the Iranians are not likely to be well received, or allowed to stay in Turkey. Rumor has it that a Russian aircraft was also involved. Part of the reason is certainly that Israeli air strikes have been aimed at removing Hizbullah commanders, and their Iranian “helpers”,

Two IDF soldiers were killed when Hizbullah launched anti-tank missile at the bulldozer they were operating.. One pf the was an Israeli Druze from Majdal Shams. Israeli air strikes have been extensive over many parts of Lebanon, They are most often hitting Hizbullah targets, especially commanders.

In Iran, the US and Israeli air attacks are usually separately conducted in different geographical areas, There is direct contact and coordination between the 2 forces. IAF attacks recently included hitting an Iranian oil refinery and storage areas. This was reported to be an attempt to make Iran stop targeting Israeli civilians. The IAF also destroyed some Iranian combat aircraft on the ground. Iran has been very reluctant to send up aircraft to engage the IAF, and their ground based air defense missiles and guns have been extremely ineffective. There are reports that soldiers manning these batteries are not obeying orders, and possibly even deserting. The battery commanders are having a difficult time getting troops to man their weapons.

The government of Iran has not reported on who the new leader will be. In any case, civilian services throughout the country are mostly inoperative. Only the Army remains committed to fighting. There are more and more reports of desertions, including from the IRGC and Basenji (secret police) as well as the regular army. The numbers of missiles launched at Israel has also been declining.

Reports in the US trumpeted the sinking of an Iranian frigate near Sri Lanka. Despite the claim by US Secretary of War, Pete Hegspeth, that this was the first time a warship was torpedoed since the Second World War, which is simply not true. HMS Conqueror sank the Argentinian cruiser Belgrano during the Falklands War. It is also not true that the ship was lost with all hands. Over 60 survivors were picked up and taken to Sri Lanka. One of them even was quoted as saying his ship had been warned by the US that it was about to be sunk.

Another interesting note is that an Israeli attack helicopter shot down a Hizbullah launched drone over Northern Israel using a 30mm cannon. The drone did not cause any damage but some home owners in Israel reported damage to their houses from the ejected empty 30mm shell casings.

Returning to the theme of my opening sentences; CNN says they are now the first Western media to be allowed to broadcast from inside Iran.

To me, that means that CNNs normal biased reporting about the war is now completely unreliable (unless, of course, you are looking for what Iran wants you to believe).