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When The Washington Post ostensibly links Israel’s and Russia’s military activities in Syria, it not only obscures the truth but also robs its readers of objective and trustworthy news.
By Chaim Lax, HonestReporting
In its headline above a recent article detailing foreign military activities in Syria, The Washington Post created a false equivalence between Israel’s defensive strikes and Russia’s offensive campaigns within the war-torn country.
By titling the piece ‘Russian and Israeli planes hit Syria in separate strikes, kill at least 10,’ the publication is giving readers the impression that Russia and Israel struck similar targets in Syria and the results of both strikes carry the same moral weight.
Only later do readers learn that Israel struck a military installation and resulted in the deaths of three Syrian soldiers, while Russia killed seven non-combatants — including four children — while attacking a civilian target.
By combining Israel and Russia in the same headline, The Washington Post is also inviting its readers to view the Israeli military in the same light as the Russian military.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, much of the Western world has come to view the Russian military’s conduct as “brutal” and “inhumane.”
Therefore, by associating Israel with Russia, The Washington Post is seemingly creating the baseless impression that the IDF shares similarities with the Russian Armed Forces. This is not only wrong, but also deceitful.
Context Deficit
In the fourth and fifth paragraphs of this article, journalist Sarah Dadouch attempts to contextualize Israel’s military forays into Syria, writing that “The strikes, rarely acknowledged by Israel, typically target military installations, arms depots, and other locations that are under the control of Iran-aligned groups.”
While Dadouch provides context for Israel’s activities on its northern border, she fails to explain why Israel is so concerned about these “Iran-aligned groups” and the danger that their presence in Syria poses to the Jewish state.
The most notable of these groups is Hezbollah, the U.S.-designated Lebanese terror organization that waged a month-long war against Israel in 2006 and continuously threatens Israel’s citizens and interests in the region.
Most recently, Hezbollah’s chief Hassan Nasrallah issued numerous threats against the Israeli extraction of natural gas from the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Haifa.
Effectively, Syria is used by Iran as a passageway through which to ship munitions to Hezbollah.
Thus, it is important to emphasize that Israel is targeting these arms depots and military installations not merely due to their connection to Iran but because they pose a direct threat to the safety and security of the Jewish state’s nine million citizens.
Could Not be Further from the Truth
As a respected news organization that wields huge influence, The Washington Post should have been more prudent when deciding on a headline for its recent piece about Israeli and Russian military intervention in Syria.
By conflating Israeli and Russian strikes, The Washington Post presents a distorted picture that sees Israel and Russia as effectively pursuing the same goals and tactics in Syria.
This could not be further from the truth: in the latest raid, Israel killed three Syrian soldiers as part of its ongoing campaign to temper Iranian influence in the region and stop the transfer of armaments to terrorist organizations like Hezbollah.
Russia, on the other hand, killed four children during its intentional targeting of civilian infrastructure at the behest of Syria’s dictator leader Bashar al-Assad.
When The Washington Post ostensibly links Israel’s and Russia’s military activities in Syria, it not only obscures the truth but also robs its readers of objective and trustworthy news.
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