An Iranian news media affiliated with the intelligence agencies of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has claimed that US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu carried out a deception campaign in Iran, and Trump’s reported delay of a strike on Iranian energy infrastructure was a tactical move meant to conceal another military plan.
Iran fired a volley of missiles at northern Israel Sunday night in retaliation for Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) launching strikes in the Beirut area for the first time since the US announced a truce plan for Lebanon last week. Though IDF initially vowed to retaliate, Trump intervened, stating he would be telling Netanyahu not to respond, fearing that it could derail talks with Iran. However, a few hours later, IDF said they had struck Iranian military targets. Iran's IRGC said Israel used air-launched ballistic missiles in its attacks.
However, Raja News claimed Trump’s statement that he “calls the shots and Netanyahu doesn't” was intended to create the impression that an attack was not expected. While in reality, the move was coordinated in advance.
In an article published by the website under the title "Behind the early morning attack - Trump-Netanyahu's deception game and the naivety of the Iranian media," it was claimed that media space in Iran on Sunday night was flooded with reports stating the attack was cancelled.
“The reports claimed that Trump opposed the attack and that the decision on the matter was in his hands. Publications in Israel highlighted the possibility of Israel not responding and Netanyahu agreeing to postpone the move. The entirety of the reports created an image that the US and Israel were at odds, and that the danger of an attack had passed,” Raja News claimed.
However, this was a "big lie" and a "tactical deception." The attacks carried out in the early hours of the morning against targets in Iran proved that the reports from the previous night were part of a coordinated move designed to lower Iran's alert level and allow for a surprise attack, the Iranian website said, calling the move as a classic "good cop, bad cop" exercise, in which Trump played the role of the "good cop," while Netanyahu acted in media silence and under a veil of complacency to carry out the attack.
Raja News also attacked media outlets and political figures in Iran affiliated with the reformist camp, which it claimed echoed the “rift between the United States and Israel.”
“The attacks demonstrated that the two countries are acting in full coordination with regard to their policy towards Iran. These figures not only fell victim to the psychological-media campaign but also helped spread it within Iran. By doing so, they gave the Iranian public a false sense of security and served as the enemy's infantry in the war of consciousness," Raja News said.
