Another piece of evidence concerning the current state of the Israeli-Iranian war:
Foreign photographers will no longer be allowed to film at the scenes of missile strikes in Israel without prior written approval from military censors, under new directives issued by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi.
The move, which targets major international outlets such as Al Jazeera, CNN, and The New York Times, empowers the Israel Police, the Government Press Office (GPO), and the military censor to enforce stricter controls on foreign reporting of war-related damage inside Israel. According to the directive, enforcement will apply regardless of the media outlet for which the footage is being filmed.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with wartime censorship. But it’s not exactly consistent with the claims of air supremacy over Tehran, the ineffectiveness of Iranian missile strikes, or confidence in the situation either.
One hopes this is a sign that the Israeli government has given up its hopes of starting a war that the USA would finish, but it’s far too soon to tell anything at all. Personally, I continue to be skeptical that any conclusive result can be even potentially obtained by either side, given that it is geographically limited to being an airpower war.