I HAVE written it several times and I am repeating it here: each time Israel suffers an attack since its bombing of Gaza in October last year, whether from Hamas freedom fighters, the Hezbollah militants across Lebanon or the Houthis in Yemen, the Western press reports the damage as assessed by the Israeli government.

Inevitably, the facts are lost in a consistent relay of what the Israeli Government and the Israel Defence Force (IDF) tell the media and the eagerness of the media to report what they have been told.
After the launch of Iranian missiles earlier this year, the Western press reported that they all were successfully intercepted.

This is where the priceless nature of social media comes in. Podcasts from commentators in the West themselves, including people like eminent global scholar Jeffrey Sachs were able to inform the world that buildings were destroyed, including a building that housed army intelligence.
Yesterday (Tuesday), Iran released hundreds of missiles on the most important cities of Israel, particularly Tel Aviv and Jerusalem (Jerusalem is not Israeli land and its occupation is not recognised by the world community).
All the Western media houses quoted the IDF spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, as saying that there was no damage.

You have to go to social media to find out the extent of the attacks in Tel Aviv and Haifa. And there was extensive damage.
But we are not going to see any reporting of the destruction. This is how Western journalism is treating this second wave of missile attacks on Israel. Please do not take my word for it. Today and tomorrow read all the Western press reports, including the BBC.
After the Iranian missile attack, there is more news to be reported on involving the IDF. Israel now has ground forces in South Lebanon. This area will be a disaster for the Israelis because the invasion is based on a myth.
Israel lies about every military action it is engaged in. It said that it targets buildings where Hamas freedom fighters are located. Yet after one year, Hamas is still in Gaza and still holding hostages.

The purpose of the aerial bombardment was to destroy the Palestinian people, drive them out of Gaza and for Israel to plant settlers there. The obliteration of the Palestinians in Gaza has not worked, because the Palestinian people are not moving out of Gaza.
Now, another big lie has been told to the world about Hezbollah being a threat to Israel, therefore, an incursion is currently underway in southern Lebanon. Since the genocide in Gaza, Hezbollah has confined its action to firing rockets. Those rockets have displaced the Israeli population that lives next to Southern Lebanon, but there have been no attacks by Hezbollah on those enclaves where Jews live.

The current invasion of South Lebanon was done to strengthen Netanyahu’s domestic base by telling the evacuees that the IDF will invade Southern Lebanon to get rid of Hezbollah. The IDF knows that it cannot get rid of Hezbollah and it cannot win ground battles in Lebanon. What is going to happen is a very short-lived military operation in South Lebanon. We are not going to see any reporting on Israeli casualties.

So why did Iran bomb Israel yesterday? It was a gesture in solidarity to allow Hezbollah to regroup, just as Hezbollah’s rocket attacks have allowed Hamas in Gaza some breathing space. As it stands, Israel is fighting on three fronts – the Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah, and has to contend with Iran. No country as small as Israel with a small army can survive such a multi-dimensional war.

What is going to happen in the coming days is that the Iranian initiative is going to embolden the Houthis and Hezbollah to intensify their campaign and there may be more Iranian attacks in the coming weeks. The situation is grim for Israel. This is the first time Israel has faced a formidable threat to its existence since the 1967 war with the Arab nations.

It has one of two options. Continue the three-dimensional war – Houthis, Hamas and Hezbollah plus confrontation with Iran and jeopardise its very existence (Turkiye says it may enter the war in Gaza) or settle the land issue with the Palestinians.
If the Palestinians are not given statehood, it is difficult to see how Israel could have a peaceful future. With 42,000 Palestinians killed by the IDF, the future will be filled with hate-filled Palestinian freedom fighters that will not allow Israel to have any peace whatsoever. Finally, what has happened in Gaza? Israel armoured tanks and ground forces are pulling out. Who will save the remaining hostages?

DISCLAIMER: The views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Guyana National Newspapers Limited