Inexpensive fiber-optic drones are challenging Israel’s high-tech defenses, shifting the military balance in the Middle East.

A recent video showing an explosive-laden drone striking an Israeli Iron Dome battery couldn’t have been more symbolic: Israel’s famous air-defense system, which cost billions of euros, looked powerless against a small aircraft that cost a few hundred euros.

While the video’s authenticity has not yet been verified, experts believe it is genuine.

The footage was published about a week ago by Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based pro-Iranian militia, which Germany, the US and several Sunni Arab states have classified as a terrorist organization.

The drone strike, if genuine, would mark propaganda victory for Hezbollah and reveal a significant vulnerability in Israel’s military capabilities.

  • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works
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    12 hours ago

    I´m talking about the difference between journalism and propaganda; you don´t think it’s a little weird to come away from an article like this knowing Hezabollah is a terrorist organization according to Germany, the US, and several Sunni Arab states, but not that their country is currently being invaded with tanks?

    • backalleycoyote@lemmy.today
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      10 hours ago

      No, because the article doesn’t acknowledge the state based designation placed upon their organization by those countries. You personally know it exists, but the writer doesn’t give the nations that imposed it that benefit of adding a reference to their decree.

      Existence of an organization within a nation does not mean it is aligned with the state or subject to it unless that organization decides to align it’s objectives with the state, which currently Hezbollah is in it’s primary territory while also providing resources and support to likeminded allies beyond.

      Most of those countries that throw around “terrorist” designations have groups on their own soil that they drop that title on. Depending on how the writer wanted to spin it they would either push the state narrative and call them “terrorists”, or acknowledge what groups often call themselves, “activists” or “militia” and reference what territory they are operating out of.

      • schipelblorp@sh.itjust.works
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        25 minutes ago

        I’m honestly not sure what you’re saying. The article is doing exactly what you say it isn’t doing–given the state-based definition of “terrorist,” and I’m not assuming the reader personally knows anything.

        I also don’t see that you are defending the omission of Israel’s invasion.

        Beware of choosing arbitrary distinctions that support what you already believe. Here, I see people who support Israel make a distinction between state and non-state actors because it cloaks state violence and decontextualizes (and implicitly condemns as unjustified) non-state violence, while at the same time giving the reader LESS information and a skewed view–the opposite of the goal of true journalism.

        For instance, I saw a great video on music theory and how some white supremacists in the West decided that contrapuntal harmony (or some shit) was the PINNACLE of intelligence. Why? Is it just a coincidence that Western Classical music does very well relative to other music in the world? Rhythmically, Indian music mops the floor with Bach. Obviously, a chauvinist Indian would pick whatever Indian music does uniquely well as the pinnacle of musical evolution.

    • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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      11 hours ago

      but not that their country

      Non state organizations do not have their own country’s…

      Hezbollah is based in Lebanon and Lebanon is being invaded, that is not the same as Hezbollah is being invaded.

      Like, you’re mad at an explanation in the article but you obviously need the explanation…