Coverage of Israel’s bombing of Gaza and Hamas rocket strikes on Israel reflected the allegiances and priorities of the various Farsi-language media platforms, with pro-government outlets expressing support for Hamas, and opposition channels slower to cover the escalating violence.
On Wednesday, as the second day of deadly attacks on Gaza continued, there was no mention of Israeli air strikes and the rising death toll in the enclave on the front pages of most reformist dailies published inside Iran.
At the other end of the spectrum, dailies and news agencies affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and conservative political institutions accused Israel of savagery while commending Hamas’ rocket attacks on Tel Aviv and other Israeli cities.
The Khorasan daily, for instance, on its front page, published an image of burnt-out cars in an Israeli city, with the headline: “Largest missile attack on Tel Aviv.”
The conservative Kayhan daily also praised the attacks by Palestinian factions and wrote: “The Palestinian resistance groups have finally made true on their threats and have turned the occupied territories into hell for the Zionists.”
Opposition media, based outside of Iran, did not cover the attacks during the first two days of the conflict. Later, they blamed the Palestinians for the Israeli bombardment of Gaza.
On Wednesday morning, BBC Persian published a news piece about the attacks on Gaza, under the headline: “Rocket attacks from Palestinian paramilitaries in Gaza on Tel Aviv”. The British broadcaster later changed this headline into: “Rocket attack on Tel Aviv, following the destruction of tower in Gaza.”
The Iran International TV channel and website also framed the recent conflict as a consequence of Hamas rocket strikes on Israel.
“Following the launching of over 200 rockets by Hamas, and the retaliatory attacks by Israel, 24 persons were killed in Gaza,” Iran International wrote on Tuesday.
Read the complete article at: Middle East Eye
Also read: Iran is Taking Advantage of the Palestinian Issue to Advance its Own Agenda