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PaperclipPerfector  9mo ago (text post)   37514 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of July 22, 2024

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There was a Hezbollah rocket attack on the Golan heights about 45 minutes ago. I don’t think it was that large overall, but one of the rockets hit a school soccer practice. Mass casualties confirmed, including at least four dead children. Prime Minister Netanyahu has been pulled into an emergency security meeting due to the incident. My gut tells me the response will be severe and that this will trigger a war between Israel and Hezbollah, which has already been brewing for some time.

Edit (7:30 PM GMT) Israeli media is reporting that Prime Minister Netanyahu has received approval from the United States for a major operation against Hezbollah.

Edit 2 (8:00PM GMT) Israeli authorities are saying at least 10 dead.

Edit 3 (8:47PM GMT) Massive GPS jamming occurring throughout the Mediterranean

Edit 4: (10:23PM GMT) Prime Minister Netanyahu has expressed condolences to the Druze community, dates that the attack “will not pass on silence”

Edit 5 (4:43AM GMT) Unconfirmed reports in Lebanese media of Israeli air strikes in Lebanon.

Edit 6 (5:10 PM GMT) Confirmed IAF air strikes on Lebanon occurring now.

Edit 7 (7:32 PM GMT) Israeli drones are airborne over Beirut. Israel is calling up medical volunteers to surge staff to hospitals in northern Israel in anticipation of large volumes of casualties.

Edit 8 (8:02 PM GMT) Municipal officials in Western and Northern Galilee regions are ordering residents into shelters

Edit 9 (3:04PM GMT) The Israeli Cabinet has given Prime Minister Netanyahu authorization for a strike on Hezbollah forces in Lebanon.

Headlines:

Reuters: Israel says Hezbollah rocket kills 12 at football ground, vows response

BBC: Golan Heights attack: Israel hits Hezbollah targets after football pitch attack

NHK (Japan national news, like the NPR of Japan): Israeli-occupied Golan Heights attack kills 10 youth, Hezbollah issues denial

CNN:Israel says Hezbollah will ‘pay the price’ after blaming it for attack on soccer field that killed 12 children

I probably bang the anti-CNN drum a bit much but its headline is definitely different.

NPR: A rocket hit Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, after Israel struck a Gaza school

Is there any evidence of relation between the two events mentioned in the headline? No, but the narrative demands any attack on Israel be presented as merely retaliatory, and any attack by Israel as unprovoked and left unexplained.

Also note the lack of agency in the first clause. Did a rocket just wake up one day and launch itself at Israel?

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