VIDEO - While Israel Defense Forces soldiers are fighting brutal battles in the villages of south Lebanon, the army is also fighting a fierce PR war against Hizbullah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The IDF took over the airwaves of Hizbullah's al-Manar television network as it showed Nasrallah's last speech and replaced the broadcast with propaganda footage. The video showed the bodies of Hizbullah operatives and asserted that fighters were fleeing from the battlegrounds.
Since the beginning of fighting in Lebanon the IDF has briefly taken control of the airwaves of al-Manar, Radio Nour, and Radio Sawt Al-Shab (the radio station of the communist party, which identifies with Hizbullah) to relay Israeli messages aimed at boosting deterrence, demoralizing Hizbullah and presenting Nasrallah as a liar and incapable leader. Clips broadcast on al-Manar made use of motifs taken from the world of Lebanon and Hizbullah, including quotes from Nasrallah.
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The propaganda videos expose Nasrallah's lies regarding the number of casualties the organization has suffered in fighting against Israel. Likewise, a clip was produced showing "the escape legend" of Hizbullah fighters in battles in the south and in Baalbeck, weighed against a letter Hizbullah operatives sent to Nasrallah which he presented as a "Letter of the brave." In addition, the clip shows Israeli commando activities in Baalbek, as well as the report on the IDF take-over of al-Manar in a Lebanese newspaper.
I can’t help but wonder what the ratings are like. Now if only the IDF could take over the CBC I might be happy. There is also a sample video at the Ynet News link.
In keeping with my Psych Ops theme Ynet News is also carrying this report that suggests that Associate Press is suffering from the same kind of malaise that Reuters has succumbed too, though the difference lies in that AP is trying silent stoic route - probably in the hopes that it will all just go away.
A woman has made two appearances in photographs used by the Associated Press and Reuters, allegedly wailing over the destruction of her Beirut home. US bloggers have however noticed that photographs were taken two weeks apart from each other, according to times stamps on the images, and that the photographs were taken in different locations.
"Either this woman is the unluckiest multiple home owner in Beirut, or something isn't quite right," noted the author of the Drinking From Home blog.
In the first photograph, taken by Reuters, a woman is seen in front of a bombed out building in Beirut. "A Lebanese woman wails after looking at the wreckage of her apartment, in a building, that was demolished by the Israeli attacks in southern Beirut," Reuters said in its caption. The photo was dated July 22 2006.
A second photograph of a woman who looks exactly like the woman in the first Reuters image, even bearing the same scar on her left cheek, is then supplied by the Associated Press.
"A Lebanese woman reacts at the destruction after she came to inspect her house in the suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon," the Associated Press caption claimed. The date accompanying the photograph is August 5 2006, and the scenes behind the woman are different to those of the July 22 photo. After receiving "some emails" about the photos, the BBC removed the Associated Press image from its own website. The Associated Press has so far not responded to requests by Ynetnews for an explanation of the mysterious time gap.
Kind of makes you wonder what her insurance premiums were like – can one even claimed if your houses are bombed by the IAF? Maybe she can launch a suit against Hezbollah for damages. Personally, I have been waiting all day for the response from the Toronto Star's media critic cum blogger, who is being strangely silent about the Reutergate issue. I figure she got her mouth caught in her burqa.
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