One of CBS’s most ardently pro-Hamas correspondents has now moved towards, if not outright cheerleading for Iran, leveraging her platform as an instrument of pro-Iranian propaganda.
Notice the jarring juxtaposition between Major Garrett’s framing of Debora Patta’s dispatch from the Middle East, and how the report actually opened:
CBS EVENING NEWS
8/5/24
6:41 PM
MAJOR GARRETT: Several U.S. personnel were injured today in a suspected rocket attack on the al-Asad airbase in Iraq. We don't yet know the severity of the injuries and no group has claimed responsibility. The White House says the president and vice president have been briefed. Today's attack comes amid growing fears of an all-out war in the Middle East with Iran and its proxies threatening to strike back against Israel for the recent assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. The U.S. is beefing up its military presence in the region, sending additional warships and fighter jets. CBS's Debora Patta is in East Jerusalem.
DEBORA PATTA: The war drums are getting louder. Following Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination, Teheran says Israel must be punished for what it calls its cowardly attack on Iranian soil. Both Israel and Iran say they don't want this to escalate, but nobody wants to be the first to take a step back.
Once Patta takes over, there is no mention of the Iranian proxy attack on al-Asad, nor any mention of injured American servicemembers. Patta goes straight to Iranian war drums.
After discussing a potential encirclement of Israel by Iranian proxies, Patta advocates for an indeterminate and unilateral Israeli ceasefire as the only remedy for the ongoing conflict. It goes without saying that there are no calls for Hamas to lay their weapons down and turn over all remaining hostages.
Had this surrender happened, or had Hamas not conducted its savage attack in the first place, there would be no need for what Patta describes further in the report:
The remains of more than 80 Palestinians were returned today after Israel took some of the bodies to check if any hostages were among them. These are the nameless dead waiting for loved ones to claim them.
There are high levels of anxiety here but for many Israelis, life simply goes on.
The goal, clearly, is to depict Israelis as coldly detached from the suffering happening in Gaza. But, again, there is no interest in adjudicating responsibility for the attacks- which is ultimately Iran’s.
It staggers the mind that CBS would continue to run pro-Hamas propaganda and call it news. But, alas, here we are. One shudders to consider what the next few dispatches will look like once the rockets start flying.
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on the CBS Evening News on Monday, August 5th, 2024:
MAJOR GARRETT: Several U.S. personnel were injured today in a suspected rocket attack on the al-Asad airbase in Iraq. We don't yet know the severity of the injuries and no group has claimed responsibility. The White House says the president and vice president have been briefed. Today's attack comes amid growing fears of an all-out war in the Middle East with Iran and its proxies threatening to strike back against Israel for the recent assassinations of senior Hamas and Hezbollah leaders. The U.S. is beefing up its military presence in the region, sending additional warships and fighter jets. CBS's Debora Patta is in East Jerusalem.
DEBORA PATTA: The war drums are getting louder. Following Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination, Teheran says Israel must be punished for what it calls its cowardly attack on Iranian soil. Both Israel and Iran say they don't want this to escalate, but nobody wants to be the first to take a step back. Former Israeli diplomat to the U.S. Alon Pinkas.
ALON PINKAS: And, most warning, is a coordinated- the so-called 360-degree attack. Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran from the east, the Houthis in western Yemen from the south. Hamas in both Gaza and the West Bank. So Israel will be encircled.
PATTA: And where does America sit in all of this and what should they be doing?
PINKAS: The last thing that America wants is a scenario in which they are dragged into the conflict.
PATTA: U.S. General Michael Kurilla helped coordinate the defense of Israel during the Iranian attack in April when more than 300 missiles and drones were fired, and was back here today meeting with Israel's defense minister. The U.S. still believes the best way to prevent this from spiraling out of control is a cease-fire in Gaza. In weekend protests, families and friends of hostages accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of choosing escalation over a deal. As the world's attention is focused on Iran, in Gaza they count their dead every day. The remains of more than 80 Palestinians were returned today after Israel took some of the bodies to check if any hostages were among them. These are the nameless dead waiting for loved ones to claim them.
There are high levels of anxiety here but for many Israelis, life simply goes on. There’s still an all-out effort internationally to prevent this from escalating, but one mistake could be lethal. Major.
GARRETT: Debora Patta. Thank you.
