I’m focusing on social media/tech issues coverage of the crisis here. Check the earlier post on Exploding Pagers. Follow X @garybunt for updates on this shifting situation. Warning: sensitive content. Time limits restrict commentary at this stage. Usual disclaimers apply.
Opinion/analysis:
Mohamad El Kari, Conversation UK, Lebanon: assassinating sectarian leaders has always led to instability – this time will be no different, 16 Oct 2024 “Lebanon’s modern history is rife with conflict. The assassination of Nasrallah marks the latest in a series of bloody milestones that have served as sharp turning points – and even transformational moments – in Lebanon’s sectarian politics.”
BBC, Israeli troops move away from Irish forces in Lebanon, 9 Oct 2024
Nada Homsi, The National, ‘If we die, we die’: Residents of Lebanon’s Sidon refuse to stop living for sake of war, 9 Oct 2024
CBS, AI-generated video purportedly showing fiery aftermath of Israeli airstrike in Beirut goes viral, 7 Oct 2024. “The clip, which purported to show fiery footage of Israeli bombardment in Lebanon was taken from a short video posted to TikTok five days earlier by the account under the username @digital.n0mad, whose bio on the app says they are an AI artist. The video was tagged as being in Beirut, but also carried a disclaimer that it was AI-generated, a label also applied to some of the account’s other sensational video creations.”
Newsweek, Fact Check: No, Hezbollah Is Not Hiring on LinkedIn, 4 Oct 2024 “Multiple fact-checking teams, including Newsweek’s, have investigated its content on topics ranging from the war in Ukraine to the conflict in Gaza. As reported by AFP Fact Check, the account has helped spread conspiratorial theories, including the widely debunked notion of “crisis actors.”” This refers to *visegrad24* on X.
Arab News, Iranian leader Khamenei calls on Muslims to confront Israel, 28 Sep 2024 “Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Muslims on Saturday “to stand by the people of Lebanon and the proud Hezbollah with whatever means they have and assist them in confronting the … wicked regime (of Israel).””
CNN, Hezbollah confirms leader Hassan Nasrallah killed in Israeli strike, 28 Sep 2024
France24, World figures react to the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, 28 Sep 2024
