On the evening of December 4th the BBC News website published a report by Beirut-based Samantha Granville under a headline which implies linkage between two separate events: “Israel strikes south Lebanon after first direct talks in decades”.
Failing to identify “the Iranian-backed group” to which she refers, Granville opens her report by telling readers that: [emphasis added]
“The Israeli military has carried out a new round of air strikes in southern Lebanon, less than a day after Israel and Lebanon held their first direct talks in decades.
Residents of the towns of Mjadel, Baraachit, Jbaa and Mahrouna were told to evacuate areas around locations that the Israeli military alleged were weapons warehouses belonging to the Iranian-backed group. No casualties have been reported.
An Israeli military spokesman said the sites constituted a ceasefire violation and warned that it would continue to operate “to remove any threat” to Israel.”
Notably, Granville had nothing to tell BBC audiences about the filmed footage documenting secondary explosions following those pre-announced strikes on Hizballah weapons depots in civilian communities in southern Lebanon.
Granville does however go on to tell readers that:
“There was no immediate comment from Lebanon’s leaders in response to Thursday’s strikes. Lebanese politicians have previously condemned similar strikes as ceasefire violations.”
She continues:
“Under the first phase of a deal brokered by the US and France, Israeli troops were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah was to remove its fighters and weapons from south of the Litani river, about 30km (20 miles) from the border with Israel – a plan the group and its allies oppose.”
Contrary to the impression given by Granville, the agreement clearly states that the Lebanese government and the Lebanese security forces – rather than Hizballah itself, which Granville fails to clarify is a designated terrorist organisation – are responsible for the implementation of clauses relating to the removal of weapons and personnel from southern Lebanon.
As has overwhelmingly been the case in the BBC’s lacklustre reporting since that ceasefire agreement came into effect over a year ago, Granville has nothing to tell readers in her own words about Hizballah’s efforts to rearm and rebuild itself.
“Israel has maintained positions at several strategic border sites and stepped up its air strikes in recent weeks. It is an escalation officials say is driven by Hezbollah’s attempts to rebuild its military infrastructure and what they see as limited Lebanese government efforts to disarm the group.”
Granville then moves on to the topic of talks held the previous day in Naqoura.
“Thursday’s strikes came less than 24 hours after Israel and Lebanon sent civilian envoys to the Lebanese border town of Naqoura for their first direct talks in decades.
The talks, hosted at the headquarters of the UN peacekeeping mission, Unifil, took place during a meeting of the ceasefire monitoring committee, which until now had only included military officers from the US, France, Lebanon, Israel and Unifil.”
Granville continues with four paragraphs describing the Israeli and Lebanese prime ministers’ statements concerning those initial talks between their civilian representatives but does not clarify that they did not address military issues.
The implied linkage between those talks and the strikes the next day on Hizballah assets in southern Lebanon that is found in the headline and opening paragraph of Granville’s report is therefore misleading to BBC audiences, particularly in light of the fact that they have yet to see any serious coverage of Hizballah’s Iranian-aided efforts to rearm and the failure of the Lebanese authorities to implement their side of the ceasefire agreement.
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