Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Palestinian Prisoners' Information Office: Four of his ribs were broken
Palestinian Prisoners' Information Office: Marwan al-Barghouti lost consciousness after a brutal assault by Israeli occupation soldiers
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli violations in the Gaza Strip have not stopped, and just a short while ago, fishermen came under fire from boats
Al Mayadeen's correspondent: Israeli occupation forces carry out a large explosion in the eastern neighborhood of the town of Mays al-Jabal in southern Lebanon.
Israeli media: Israeli political leadership decides to open Rafah crossing “as planned” and transfer aid to Gaza Strip.
Palestinian media: Three Palestinians were killed after being targeted by Israeli drone fire in the al-Shujaiya neighborhood east of Gaza City
Nicolas Maduro: The Palestinian cause is the most sacred cause for humanity, and we propose sending teams of builders, farmers, and doctors to Gaza to help the people
Al Mayadeen's correspondent in Lebanon: IOF infiltrate Khallet Wardeh towards the municipality in the town of Aita al-Shaab, south of Lebanon.
Leaders of the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey sign a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.
Trump arrives in Sharm el-Sheikh

Western Propaganda About Syrian and Iranian WMD’s Set The Stage For Warfare

  • Robert Inlakesh Robert Inlakesh
  • Source: Al Mayadeen Net
  • 25 Dec 2021 23:22
  • 4 Shares
7 Min Read

The latest claims about Iran and Syria harboring weapons of mass destruction are merely a recycled ploy from the 2003 Iraq invasion propaganda to justify any upcoming military actions by the US and "Israel"

  • x
  • Western Propaganda About Syrian and Iranian WMD’s Set The Stage For Warfare
    Western Propaganda About Syrian and Iranian WMD’s Set The Stage For Warfare

With less than two weeks left for a revival of the 2015 Iran Nuclear Deal, "Israel" and NATO powers posture against Iran, with regional allies setting the stage for an escalation of violence on all fronts. At the forefront of this potentially dangerous push towards warfare has been Western establishment media and their obsession with the Middle East’s “Weapons of Mass Destruction”.

Many believed that following the illegal invasion of Iraq in 2003, which was largely justified on the basis of “protecting the world” from Saddam Hussein’s alleged “chemical, biological and nuclear weapons”, such excuses would never be used again. The former Iraqi President was accused of hiding WMDs that were either never found, or sold to him by the United States and Germany.

Yet, despite Western leaders, like George Bush and Tony Blair, having been proven wrong, the same tired propaganda seems to be brewing again to justify military aggression against both Syria and Iran.

In the case of Iran, for 30 years now prominent Israeli politicians, such as Benjamin Netanyahu, have been wrongly predicting when the Islamic Republic will acquire nuclear weapons and continue to allege that Tehran harbors a secretive nuclear weapons program. For example, in 1992, "Israel’s" former President, Shimon Peres, warned the international community "that Iran would be armed with a nuclear bomb by 1999." Iran has been accused of pretty much every single lie told to the Western public, exactly as it was claimed of Iraq under Saddam Hussein; including claims that Al-Qaeda has its “new home base” in Iran, according to former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, and that Iran is secretly developing a nuclear bomb as well as other types of bombs which threaten the regional security.

After a drone attack that was launched against the Al-Tanf military base in southern Syria, on October 20, US Central Command vowed a right to a response. Although the United States illegally occupies about a third of the Syrian territory, with its own military presence and proxies, Washington still feels it has the right of "self-defense". Despite the clear contradiction of the international law clauses, this still means that the US is seeking targets to strike, and has likely held back on such an attack, due to discussions in Vienna aimed at reviving the Iran Nuclear Deal. What’s more is that following the attack on the US-controlled base in Syria, The New York Times claimed to have acquired “unnamed Israeli and American officials” as sources to claim that Iran was behind the attack. This could simply be false propaganda, but if it is believed to be the case in the US, it isn’t far-fetched to assume that this can now be used to justify targeting Iran or Iranians.

"Israel" has been actively pressuring the United States during the past month, in an attempt to extract more terms from Tehran, in the event that the Nuclear Deal is revived in the coming weeks. Furthermore, the Zionist regime's pressure campaign has been a source of threats issued to Iran regarding "Israel" preparing having prepared its air force for striking Iranian nuclear facilities. The US has also hopped on the bandwagon of considering military options for Iran, to combat its non-existent nuclear weapons program. In response, Iranian General Gholamali Rashid says that "If "Israel" carries out attacks against Iran, our armed forces will immediately attack all centers, bases, routes, and spaces used to carry out the aggression".

Related News

What future awaits Palestinian refugees in Syria?

Will Syria sign a security agreement with 'Israel' soon?

There is of course no evidence that Iran is effectively developing a nuclear weapon, nor has there ever been any accusation leveled at Tehran by any reputable organization to say it is currently trying to achieve this goal. Nevertheless, Western media has repeated these false claims and predictions of when the nukes will be ready, so that many people continue to buy the propaganda.

The UK’s RAF also claims to have shot down a drone claimed to belong to an “Iranian-backed terror militia” in Syria. Beating the drums of war and attempting to brag about their military capabilities, this comes after the UK just pledged to work with "Israel" to combat Iran acquiring nuclear weapons. The UK, despite its relatively weak military, looks to be backing the US and Israeli aggression in the region still, attempting to propagate the idea to British right-wingers that it still has "what it takes".

"Israel" has struck Syria illegally, without provocations, at least 8 times during the past two months. "Tel Aviv" continues to ramp up tensions around the illegally occupied Golan Heights, pledging in October to quadruple its settler population in the area. This comes despite a UN General Assembly resolution having recently passed to condemn "Israel’s" occupation and annexation of the territory. 

As part of the propaganda that is being used to justify "Israel’s" crimes against Syria, The Washington Post recently published an article in which they quote “two Western intelligence officials” who claimed that "Israel" has launched strikes to target Syria’s alleged chemical weapons development sites. The article attempts to claim that an Israeli airstrike in June and another last year, both targeted sites where “chemical weapons” were being produced. 

The report gave no evidence for these claims, the sources were unnamed and it wasn’t even specified the Western country identity the “intelligence officials” came from. The sites around Homs, that they claim were hit to destroy chemical weapons facilities are also alleged to be sites where Syria had its chemical weapons prior to 2013 when it officially got rid of them. According to the report, we are supposed to believe that Syria would be so stupid as to start producing secret chemical weapons at the exact same place they produced them openly, at a time when "Israel" was constantly bombing everything and anything it can hit. These claims are so outlandish to believe them, the reader would have to think that the Syrian government is run by either flatly insane people or the dumbest there is. The claims are not even close to seeming reasonable, yet the WP story is now being quoted around the world as if the report is true.

Despite the propaganda recruited by the Western corporate media against Iran and Syria, it is easy to see through for those that follow the region closely; however, most Westerners are bought and sold on it. These sorts of reports and narratives woven by the Western media are essentially used to justify any illegal aggression that has been taking place against Iran and its allies. What’s worse is that the same media outlets are now laying the groundwork to justify further military aggressions. Western corporate media is not independent of the military-industrial complex and governments it advocates for, it is simply another wing of that same US-led military machine. The only difference is that it doesn’t use bombs, it uses words.

Whilst it is unlikely that "Israel" will launch a direct war against Iran, it is very possible that limited battles could occur and/or a number of proxy wars. At the very least, it is likely that Western and Israeli military aggression will quickly escalate in the coming months.

The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect Al Mayadeen’s editorial stance.
  • Syria
  • United States
  • WMD
  • Israel
  • Vienna talks
  • Nuclear Deal
  • Iran
Robert Inlakesh

Robert Inlakesh

Political Analyst, Journalist, and Documentary Filmmaker.

Most Read

All
All these decades and the billions of dollars spent by the Zionist Lobby on its propaganda is being rapidly undone, all thanks to the Israeli murder machine exposing itself. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

Israeli seizure of social media is a declaration of defeat

  • Opinion
  • 6 Oct 2025
There is a great uncertainty over how the president will use the remaining three years of his term, to say nothing about his prospects for re-election. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

Iranian opponents of diplomacy have definitively won the debate

  • Opinion
  • 4 Oct 2025
Declassified: MI6 support for Nazi ‘Forest Brothers’

Declassified: MI6 support for Nazi ‘Forest Brothers’

  • Analysis
  • 9 Oct 2025
Graham’s Middle East vs. reality on the ground: Hezbollah, the undefeatable Resistance

Graham’s Middle East vs. reality on the ground: Hezbollah, the undefeatable Resistance

  • Blog
  • 8 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
Gaza: An Epic of Resilience and Valor

More from this writer

All
Zionists Fundamentally Misread Iran Due To Their Own Echo Chambers

Zionists fundamentally misread Iran due to their own echo chambers

All these decades and the billions of dollars spent by the Zionist Lobby on its propaganda is being rapidly undone, all thanks to the Israeli murder machine exposing itself. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

Israeli seizure of social media is a declaration of defeat

Barrack explicitly asserted that the US is supplying the Lebanese army to fight its own people, even laughing at the idea that this support is intended to confront "Israel". (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Zeinab el-Hajj)

Why the US is so open about its intentions for Lebanese civil war

Frontline leaders in the battle against the Zionist regime have warned the Arab nations of what is to come, yet all of them decided to ignore these calls. Now, the chickens have come home to roost. (Al Mayadeen English; Illustrated by Batoul Chamas)

'Peace through diplomacy' is an excuse for collaboration with the Israelis

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS