By William Tucker
Every so often press reports emerge that are sensational in nature, but because of their respective content cannot be easily dismissed. Such is the case of a report in an Italian newspaper that Turkey is planning on sending weapons to Hezbollah with the help of Iran and Syria. Another report came out of Germany which accused the Turkish military of using chemical weapons against Kurdish separatists. The information that is available on providing weapons to Hezbollah is sparse and yet could damage relations with the US who has designated Hezbollah a terrorist organization. The report on the use of chemical weapons on the other hand is based upon forensic and photographic evidence as claimed by the accusers. Regardless of the evidence these accusations are serious, but the timing of their release is suspect.
It is not uncommon for intelligence agencies, or even political groups, to leak information to the press with the intention of shaping public perception. Some journalists are used exclusively by specific nation’s or intelligence agencies making it possible to discern the source of some information that is released. In this case we have two serious accusations against Turkey landing in the press on the same day. These press reports also hit Turkey from different angles making them seem unrelated, but because of the timing of their release it appears a little suspicious. This is not to say that the information is inaccurate, but it does appear as if someone or some nation is engaging in a full psychological offensive against the powers in Ankara.
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