It looks like it was a challenging task for MSM outlets to make bloggers believe that four Russian missiles sent from the Caspian Sea to take out ISIS dens in Syria fell in Iran. While CNN, Sky and Reuters rushed to publish reports based on unnamed US officials, many readers trolled the media to check the validity of the sources and the allegations.
No evidence whatsoever was presented, and both Moscow and Iran denied the reports. And while some commenters online took the claims as true, some saw poetic justice in the development or seized the opportunity to declare Russian weapons old junk.
Some were surprised to learn new things about the geography of the Middle East and the location of the Caspian Sea, from which Russia shot a barrage of cruise missiles on Wednesday.
But those more skeptical demanded more evidence than just the words of American officials who wouldn’t even let their names be published...
...especially considering America’s bad track in providing accurate intelligence on the region, when the Bush administration was pushing for a war on Saddam Hussein’s Iraq.
Some asked why didn’t Iran confirm the reports, being the party taking the alleged damage here.
And lampooned the media reporting the allegations.
Or reminded them of America’s confirmed blunders during its own airstrikes.
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