Famously, the slogan “All the News That’s Fit to Print” graces the front page of every New York Times edition. The slogan was coined at the end of the 19th century by the paper’s publisher, Adolph Ochs. Of course, in today’s hyper-globalized world, the slogan is wishful thinking. No paper could realistically cover all the important news stories of the day.
Still, it would be hard to argue that outlets like The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and others adequately cover even those stories they do print. They often devote precious space to emotive or opinionated claims, while omitting highly material and relevant information that sheds important new light.
Provided below are three important, but underreported, stories bearing on Israel and the Middle East that media consumers should know this week.
- Hezbollah Received $200 Million From Iran Last Month
On the three-year anniversary of the Hamas Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, Reuters reported that the Lebanese Hezbollah terrorist organization received some $200 million from Iran to “help Lebanese displaced by this year’s war with Israel.” According to the story, Hezbollah received the funds despite a massive U.S.-led financial pressure campaign against Iran and its proxies throughout the Middle East, which include Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis in Yemen, and Shia Iraqi militias. Intermediaries that transferred the funds charged a 20 percent fee.
The money, it is claimed, would be distributed to Lebanese families in need in southern Lebanon, according to the reports, but the fungibility of money raises concerns for the potential for the Shia terrorist organization to reconstitute its strength after years of costly fighting with Israel.
The U.S. disputed the report. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott stated that Hezbollah was simply “trying to save face with fake stories about cash influxes from Iran,” and that the cash was “not there.” Meanwhile, a Treasury Department spokesperson said that Iran was “running out of money and ways to move money.”
Iran does continue to face tremendous economic strain. The rial continues to lose value, falling to 2.69 million against the U.S. dollar as of Oct. 7. Iranian oil exports were at zero for the month of September as the United States continued its military blockade in the Persian Gulf and Strait of Hormuz. Now, the latest Reuters report suggests that the regime is prioritizing the survival of its proxy terrorist organizations rather than care for its own citizens on the homefront.
Hezbollah flag and artillery piece, retrieved via Wikimedia Commons
- More than 75 Retired U.S. Military Officers and Legal Experts Agree Israel Not Committing Genocide
Over 75 retired senior U.S. military officials and legal experts signed onto a statement rejecting the claim that Israel had or is committing genocide in its ongoing fight against Hamas in Gaza. The letter, published by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA) on the third anniversary of Hamas’ barbaric attacks on Israel, argues that civilian casualties cannot establish genocidal intent, and that Israeli evacuation warnings, humanitarian corridors, tactical pauses in fighting, and legal oversight of strikes serve as counterevidence against any claims of genocide.
Notable signatories include former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe Gen. Philip Breedlove, former U.S. Strategic Command head Gen. Kevin Chilton, former Marine Corps commandant Gen. James Amos, former U.S. 7th Fleet commander Vice Adm. John Bird, and former CENTCOM deputy commander Vice Adm. Mark Fox.
The letter reads that “Many of the signatories to this letter have commanded United States armed forces in combat against enemies who regularly hide behind civilians and put those civilians intentionally in harm’s way. Fighting under those complexities is especially difficult. We understand that the loss of civilian life in Gaza is tragic. But we also know that such tragic outcomes do not necessarily violate the law of armed conflict,” adding that “Israel has not committed genocide but rather set a high bar for how to conduct urban warfare against an enemy who will stop at nothing, including the death of its own civilians.”
The letter offers yet another counter to the propaganda lie that the existence of a genocide in Gaza is widely agreed upon. In September, more than 5,000 prominent individuals, including former British premier Boris Johnson, actress Debra Messing, and dozens of authors and entertainment figures signed onto a similar letter rejecting the charge.
- Former Israeli Hostages Say Hamas Wants to Repeat Oct. 7 Attacks, Create Islamic State
Avinaton Or, an ex-Hamas hostage abducted during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, said in an interview with Israel’s Channel 12 Uvda program that Hamas had pledged to repeat the atrocities again. According to Or, Hamas had told him upon his release to “say goodbye to dad and mom, meet up with your friends – two, three, four days, a week – then grab a bag, pack, and head to Europe … You know why? Because we will carry out another Octover 7th. As long as there is a single Jew in the Land of Israel, we will slaughter you again and again,” Hamas had told Or.
CNN anchor Bianna Golodryga called the remarks “chilling,” while recalling that “it’s what other former hostages have told me too. I will never forget asking Yarden Roman-Gat whether her captors ever discussed the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Did they talk about the possibility of two states? Her answer: ‘Two states? No. One state. Islamic state.’”
The new revelations from Or’s time in captivity came as Hamas stated that it would continue its fight against Israel, and try to unify different Palestinian factions. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades said that he sent a salute “steeped in glory and pride” to Hamas terrorists who participated in the Oct. 7 attacks. The spokesperson also praised Iran, Hezbollah, and the Houthis for their support for the group.