Iranian propaganda confronts reality in an unprecedented editorial from the Islamic Republic newspaper, which is aligned with the regime and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The article describes Hamas’ October 7 attack as a “costly failure” and indirectly acknowledges the severe blows suffered by the entire Iranian axis in the confrontation with Israel. The article, appearing in the daily edition as the editorial, describes the Hamas terror attack as a “failure and costly mistake.”
“The truth is, contrary to what many commentators and analysts claim, Operation ‘Al-Aqsa Flood’ was a mistake. We believed this from the first moments we heard about the operation, and after two years have passed, we are even more convinced of it,” the article states.
Hamas terrorists before the release of Israeli hostage Keith Siegel in Gaza City, 01 February 2025 (Photo: EPA/Muhammed Saber) EPA
The article continues and lists the blows suffered by Iran’s proxy organizations and claims they sustained damage that “destroys years of diligent and meticulous work. Syria’s loss and its withdrawal from the anti-Zionist alliance, as it is swallowed by the US and Israel, is one of the most difficult losses in the past two years and should be seen as direct damage from Operation Al-Aqsa Flood,” the article states.
The conservative newspaper also addressed the blows suffered by Hezbollah and the elimination of the organization’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and connected Israel’s achievements to Hamas’ decision to launch an attack on southern communities. Regarding Israel’s confrontation with Iran in Operation Rising Lion, the article takes a more cautious language and chooses to mention “the heavy losses Israel suffered” alongside describing senior Iranian officials and civilians killed in Israeli strikes in Iran. “The bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities is another disastrous consequence of the war Hamas started,” the article states.