BBC News recycles seven month-old misinformation

BBC audiences get more Hizballah related context-free reporting.

In the early hours of December 26th the BBC News website published a short report headlined “Syria military says Israel strikes hit Damascus weapons depot“.

The BBC was unable to provide its audiences with much factual information on the story, the details of which are still unclear.

“Loud explosions have been heard close to Syria’s capital Damascus overnight, in what the Syrian military says were Israeli air strikes on a weapons depot.

A Syrian military official told state media the depot was hit, and three soldiers were injured. Syria said most of the missiles were intercepted.

Israel has not confirmed the strikes. It said it activated its air defence systems to bring down a Syrian missile.”

Readers did however find the following opaque statement:

“Israel has on numerous occasions targeted Iranian and Hezbollah sites in Syria that it regards as threats to its own security.” [emphasis added]

No effort was made to provide BBC audiences with the essential background information concerning Iran’s transfers of weapons and military equipment to the terror group Hizballah via Syria in violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701. Readers were likewise not informed of the relevant context of the build-up of Iranian and Iranian sponsored military forces in Syria.

The BBC closed its report with a link to an article it published on May 10th.

“Israel rarely admits carrying out such strikes.

But in May, Israel said it had struck almost all of Iran’s military infrastructure inside Syria in its biggest assault since the start of the civil war there in 2011.

The strikes came after rockets were fired at Israeli military positions in the occupied Golan Heights overnight.”

As was noted here at the time:

“Remarkably, the three latest versions of the BBC’s report amplified spurious claims from a source based in Coventry and a pro-Syrian regime source that “Israeli forces had fired first”.”

Seven months on that misinformation not only remains in situ but the BBC has now chosen to re-promote it.

Related Articles:

What do BBC audiences know about the background to tensions in northern Israel?

Iran missile attack: BBC News promotes misinformation

Omissions and additions in BBC News Syria blasts report

 

 

 

More from Hadar Sela
Weekend long read
Earlier this week we noted that the BBC’s coverage of the new...
Read More
Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *