To be clear, Hezbollah gave these two reasons in the same sentence, CBC News (and many other outlets) are choosing to deliberately omit one of these reasons and only mention the other. This is extremely unfair and incomplete framing.
To the CBC News,
I am writing on behalf of Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East (www.cjpme.org) regarding the CBC News segment that aired on Thursday, June 18 at 10 a.m. on CBC Newsroom with Aarti Pole.
The segment specifies that “Lebanon was drawn into the conflict when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in support of Iran. Now, despite a fragile truce, the two sides have exchanged numerous attacks.” No additional context is given on this issue.
In other words, the segment frames March 2, 2026, as the starting point of the timeline. It even entrenches this idea by specifically saying the truce has been violated by both sides, “now,” as in, not by Israel for the 15 months preceeding March 2.
This framing omits essential context that readers ought to be aware of and that is key to understanding the geopolitical aggression unfolding in the whole region.
At no point was there a genuine ceasefire in Lebanon; rather, what existed functioned as “ceasefire warfare,” serving as a cover for ongoing artillery shelling.
From November 2024 to March 1, 2026, Israel carried out daily aerial strikes in the south of Lebanon, targeted assassinations, and the occupation of five strategic points.
The ceasefire was violated over 10,000 documented times.
Over 300 Lebanese were killed by the Israeli forces.
The claim therefore that Hezbollah fired rockets at Israel in support of Iran is not entirely inaccurate, but it is incomplete and omits essential context. Hezbollah’s statement on March 2nd states two things:
- that Hezbollah launched rockets into Israel in retaliation of the US assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei and
- “in response to the continued Israeli aggression over the past fifteen months.”
To be clear, Hezbollah gave these two reasons in the same sentence, CBC News (and many other outlets) are choosing to deliberately omit one of these reasons and only mention the other. This is extremely unfair and incomplete framing.
Given that Crystal Goomansingh describes at length the destruction of southern Lebanon, which she witnessed “with her own eyes,” it is critically important that Canadians understand this destruction did not begin on March 2, with Hezbollah’s attack, but has been occurring for well over a year. When she describes the “destruction that has occured on the Lebanese side of the border,” most viewers would understandably assume this started on March 2 based on the framing.
In the interest of accurate and fair reporting, in line with CBC’s JSP, future reporting should specify that Hezbollah launched rockets on March 2 not only in retaliation of the US assassination of Iranian Supreme Leader Sayyid Ali Khamenei, but also because the Israeli military had already been conducting near-daily airstrikes in southern Lebanon for fifteen months.
Otherwise as is, the timeline effectively erases the past year and a half of constant bombardment from the reporting, and treats the south as though it is not part of Lebanon.
It is worth noting that we do appreciate Crystal Goomansingh’s balanced reporting.
Media Analyst
Canadians for Justice and Peace in the Middle East