Analyst Elliot Chodoff on NY Times coverage of yesterday’s Hezbollah skirmish:
“Despite an Israeli military withdrawal from southern Lebanon four years ago, Israeli warplanes still fly over Lebanese air space and sometimes draw fire from Hezbollah.” (Israel and Hezbollah Clash, NY Times, June 21, 2004) The Times neglects to mention that sometimes IAF planes draw Hizbullah fire when they fly on the Israeli side of the border, and sometimes even when they are not flying at all.
The story of Hizbullah antiaircraft fire landing in Israel is a fine illustration of the truth but less than the whole truth, since antiaircraft munitions are designed to explode in the air, and not to reach the ground even if they miss their airborne targets. How is it that Hizbullah antiaircraft shells not only refuse to self-destruct, but always manage to land coincidentally near Israeli populated areas?
