At least seven US air force refuelling jets have been damaged in recent days

From the FB page of:

Nury Vittachi


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A MASS NEWS BLACKOUT in West Asia/ the Middle East is under way, as authorities race to cover up news about war damage or losses on the US/ Israel side.

- US Centcom has lost six jets in two weeks—but are claiming none were shot down. Six airmen died yesterday in a KC-135 which had no parachutes, but no details are being provided.

- At least seven US air force refuelling jets have been damaged in recent days, but again no details have been released.

- In Doha, Qatar, 194 people have been arrested for “filming and circulating video clips” or information that may “incite public opinion”.

- In Dubai, 21 people have been arrested, including a British man aged 60 who was visiting on holiday. 

Simply sharing clips from the media on social media, or commenting on them, can lead to arrest.

- Clips from Chinese sources, such as Douyin, are now considered more dependable by some people, as they are less prone to Middle Eastern censorship or Western mainstream media bias.
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DUBAI LEADERS ‘ANTSY’

Dubai authorities are particularly antsy. While advertising itself as a consumerist temple, the city’s waterfront hosts the biggest US Naval operation in West Asia—and is thus a key player in the US-Israel attack which has so far killed 2,000 Iranians, many of whom are civilians, including 165 people at a primary school.

The Dubai media office does not want citizens to report damage from Iranian drones or missiles, even though it is clearly visible.

But they may be allowed to share the rather unbelievable Official Story, which is that damage comes from shrapnel resulting from the “successful interception” of drones or missiles.

And if they share footage of an actual missile in the sky? A British tourist has been charged with sharing material that could “disturb public security”, among 21 arrestees.

Penalties include two years in prison, fines of up to US$54,000, and deportation – 90% of residents are foreign nationals.
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DOHA, CENTCOM: INFO LIMITED

In Doha, Qatari authorities stressed “the importance of obtaining information exclusively from official sources”. No other clips should be shared.

US Centcom also is a limited official source, but shares few details. It announced that the latest “loss of the aircraft was not due to hostile fire or friendly fire” but refused to say what did cause it.

In 2008, the air force removed parachutes from KC-135 operations, with bosses arguing that bailouts were somehow not suitable.

“Air Force officials determined that the time and effort involved in maintaining parachute capability provided little practical safety benefit,” said Aerospace Global News, a US site.

Of course, it's generally known that "truth is the first casualty of war", but the US is not officially at war. The US-attack on Iran is technically a special operation. 

But people will make up their own minds. If it walks like a duck...

Never has it been more important to have some healthy skepticism about what the mainstream media tells you.