Israel confirms being struck by over 50 missiles in 12-day Iran war, yet actual damage remains unclear due to strict media limits.
In Israel, where any written or visual publication judged potentially detrimental to the nebulously defined concept of “national security” can be outlawed, such regulations are nothing new.
Censorship existed before Israel was established in 1948, when the country was governed by a British mandate.
However, the restrictions were further tightened in response to Iran’s recent missile barrages that managed to penetrate Israel’s renowned air defenses and kill 28 people.
According to the Israeli Government Press Office, which is in charge of government communications and journalist accreditation, any broadcast from a “combat zone or missile impact site” needs written permission from the military censor.
When strikes occur close to military installations, oil refineries, or other strategically important facilities, this requirement is especially strict.
Naturally, there is a very real national security component. According to Jerome Bourdon, a professor of media sociology at Tel Aviv University, “you don’t want to help the enemy improve targeting or tell them exactly where its bombs landed.”
However, this also keeps people in the dark about how vulnerable the nation is to outside threats. The full extent of the damage is likely to remain unknown,” he continued.
The government’s military victories dominated most of its communications during the conflict; Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed a “historic victory” over Iran on Tuesday.
According to Bourdon, the increased media attention also shows “a very clear desire to reverse the narrative” at a time when Israel is being heavily criticized internationally for its war in Gaza, which has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and terrible humanitarian conditions.
