BBC News continues to promote Iran’s narrative on Damascus building

Previously we looked at BBC News website coverage of a strike on a building adjacent to the Iranian embassy in Damascus on April 1^st:

BBC REPORTING ON THE STRIKE ON IRCG OFFICERS IN DAMASCUS

As noted at the time, BBC audiences reading and viewing those initial reports on the story would have received the impression that the strike took place at a consulate. With the exception of one second-hand quote from the New York Times, no mention was made of the lack of clarity regarding that building’s status and function – a topic which is currently under review by the US administration.

Nevertheless, the BBC continued to state that the incident had taken place at a consulate in later reporting, thereby going along with the narrative promoted by Iran, which days later was laid out by Amos Harel in Haaretz as follows:

“Since the Damascus bombing Monday, the Iranians have focused on the site that was attacked, a building attached to their embassy in Syria. Iran has described the structure as part of its consulate in the city. Israel asserts that it is not a diplomatic facility, that Iran has no consulate in Damascus and that all those who were killed were from the IRGC, Hezbollah and Syrian militias, known terrorists and no diplomats or ordinary civilians. Iran’s assertion of the building’s diplomatic status is aimed at laying the groundwork in the international arena for the Iranian case that the facility was under Iranian sovereignty, and tantamount to an attack on Iranian soil.” [emphasis added]

BBC News website coverage of events on April 13^th and 14^th continued to promote that narrative.

“Iranian troops descend from helicopter to seize Israel-linked ship” by Matt Murphy.

“The incident comes amid heightened expectation of an Iranian attack on Israel after an airstrike destroyed Iran’s consulate in Damascus at the start of April.”

“Ever since the lethal 1 April attack on the Iranian consulate building in Damascus, which killed a senior IRGC commander, Iran has vowed to strike back at Israel, which it blames for the attack.”

“Israel-Gaza briefing: World watches nervously to see what Iran does next” by Lyse Doucet.

“It’s Tehran’s move after the airstrike on its diplomatic compound in the heart of the Syrian capital, Damascus on 1 April, which killed senior commanders in its Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC).

Israel never admits carrying out such attacks, but everyone knows it was its doing.”

“The precise missile strikes earlier this month smashed the consulate annex next to Iran’s embassy, and killed several IRGC officers including Brigadier General Mohammad Reza Zahedi, its top general in the region in the Quds Force, the elite clandestine branch responsible for foreign operations.

And it happened on Iran’s diplomatic property, which Iran considers its own soil.”

“Israel on high alert after unprecedented Iranian attack” by Raffi Berg.

“Iran had vowed to retaliate for a strike on its consulate in Syria on 1 April which killed seven IRGC officers, including a top commander. It accused Israel of carrying out that attack, but Israel neither confirmed nor denied it.”

“Iran’s IRGC – the most powerful branch of its armed forces – said it had launched the attack “in retaliation against the Zionist regime’s [Israel] repeated crimes, including the attack on the Iranian embassy’s consulate in Damascus”.”

“Israel attack: ‘A very long night and a dangerous moment’” by Hugo Bachega.

“Iran’s missile and drone attack on Israel raises the risk of an escalation in the region, the BBC’s Hugo Bachega in Jerusalem has said.

The Israeli military said that more than 300 cruise missiles were intercepted, in what Iran described as an attack aimed at “specific targets”.

The strike was an anticipated retaliation for an Israeli attack on its consulate in Syria, which killed a top Iranian military commander and several others earlier this month.”

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Given that the US administration has not yet determined whether or not the building struck on April 1^st was a consular facility, CAMERA UK has contacted the BBC to inquire how the corporation managed to do so with such speed and alacrity.

We have also requested that these and additional items of content which have appeared on the BBC News website since April 1^st be updated to clarify that that while the Iranians claim that a consular facility was hit, it has in fact yet to be confirmed that the building belonged to Iran’s diplomatic mission in Syria.