MSNBC’s Reid: Iran’s Attack on Israel ‘Set in Motion’ ‘by Israel’ and Has Distracted from ‘Carnage in Gaza’

On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “The ReidOut,” host Joy Reid stated that Iran’s attack on Israel “was set in motion…by Israel, whose military struck an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria earlier this month. That attack killed eleven people, including two generals from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, an explicit violation of territorial sovereignty and norms.” And that the attack has turned attention “away from the carnage in Gaza and toward more sort of tough talk against Iran.”

Reid began by saying, “For nearly half a century, Iran and Israel have engaged in a shadow war. This weekend, Iran launched a direct attack on Israel, launching over 300 missiles, and bringing us dangerously close to World War III. Up to this point, Iran relied on proxies like Hezbollah, Hamas, Iraqi militias, and Yemen’s Houthis to attack Western assets. So, this direct attack was a big deal. It was set in motion, however, by Israel, whose military struck an Iranian diplomatic compound in Syria earlier this month. That attack killed eleven people, including two generals from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard, an explicit violation of territorial sovereignty and norms.”

She added, “And the frightening thing is that it does feel like all the incentives for Bibi Netanyahu are to escalate the conflict, because it has turned the U.S.[‘s] attention away from the carnage in Gaza and toward more sort of tough talk against Iran. Jake Sullivan, the National Security Adviser, has now said that there will be new Iran sanctions imposed within a few days on Iran’s missile and drone programs. So, it’s turned U.S. attention back where, I would argue, probably Bibi Netanyahu wants it to be.”

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