Israel tells the US and Gulf states that Iran may be considering chemical weapons, but officials are divided over the intelligence, the New York Times reports
The New York Times reported on Tuesday that Israel gave the US intelligence that Iran is considering using chemical weapons against adversaries, and shared its assessments with Gulf states, who were sceptical. US officials are divided; some viewed it as a pressure campaign by Netanyahu's government to convince the Trump administration to resume large-scale fighting against Iran.
Our outlet list is not evenly split: about 50% left-rated, 15% centre and 35% right-rated, so raw splits lean left by construction. Blindspots are tested against each side's own share. About our sample.
Left 1 · Centre-left 3 · Centre 0 · Centre-right 2 · Right 3
ContextSources by leanVideoDeep diveFollow the moneyMore coverage
How each side framed it
Left-leaning outlets
'Israel has shared intelligence with the United States that Iran is considering using chemical weapons' (Haaretz, citing the New York Times).
Centre outlets
No least-biased (centre) outlet in our sample covered it.
Right-leaning outlets
Jerusalem Post: 'officials in Washington are divided over the information's credibility and significance'.
Context
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Sources by lean
Balanced: the same number of articles from the left, the centre and the right (up to 3 each). The bar above still counts every rated outlet we found. Bias and factual ratings come from Media Bias/Fact Check. How we balance · All ratings.
Left 3
- Haaretz
Israel Reportedly Told U.S. That Iran Is Weighing Use of Chemical Weapons - Israel Security - Ynet News
Report: Israel warns US that Iran may use chemical weapons against regional adversaries - New York Times
Israeli Claims of Iranian Chemical Weapons Divide U.S. Officials (paywalled or blocks bots)
Centre 0
No centre coverage found — blindspot
Right 3
Showing 3 from left and right of 9 rated outlets (L 4 / C 0 / R 5). More coverage
Video
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Deep dive
A short prompt for thinking it through. We write a fuller side-by-side deep dive for the day's biggest stories.
The paradox: The same report is read both as a warning and as lobbying for renewed war.
What each side may be protecting: Israel: security from Iranian weapons. Sceptics: avoiding war based on contested intelligence.
A question to hold: Shared question: who could independently verify the intelligence?
Try it: open one left and one right article in Sources by lean and note what each takes for granted.
Follow the money
Not yet researched. We haven't yet looked at who gains or loses financially from this story, or who funds the main voices on each side. When we do, we check company filings, the Electoral Commission donations register, lobbying registers, annual reports, InfluenceMap and OpenSecrets, and we apply the same checks to every side. How we follow the money.
Who owns or funds the outlets covering this story (9 outlets)
| Outlet | Lean | Ownership & funding (MBFC) |
|---|---|---|
| Haaretz | Left | According to the Financial Times, Haaretz does not report its earnings. They were also the first Israeli paper to introduce the paywall. For subscription fees, please see here. source |
| New York Times | Centre-left | The Ochs-Sulzberger family controls the New York Times through Class B shares. Since 1967, the company has been listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol NYT. Class B shares are those that are held privately. source |
| Times of Israel | Centre-left | The Times of Israel is co-owned by David Horovitz and Seth Klarman. Revenue is generated through advertising..push({}); source |
| Ynet News | Centre-left | Yedioth Ahronoth owns Ynetnews. Advertising derives revenue. source |
| Jerusalem Post | Centre-right | In 1989, the paper was purchased by Hollinger Inc. for $17-million, which Canadian-born British Conservative Conrad Black owned. Conrad Black later was charged with “swindling his company, Hollinger International, of $60 million.” He was serving a prison sentence; however, in 2019, President Donald Trump pardoned him. source |
| New York Post | Centre-right | The New York Post is owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, which owns many conservative/sensational media outlets worldwide. The paper is funded through advertising, subscriptions, and newsstand sales. source |
| Breitbart | Right | After the death of Andrew Breitbart in 2012, Larry Solov became CEO and president of Breitbart News. In 2017, according to Politico, Larry Solov revealed the owner of Breitbart as “himself, founder Andrew Breitbart’s widow, Susie Breitbart, and the Republican mega-donor family, the Mercers.” Further, Solov also stated that he wants “to disclose as little as possible about financial and ownership structure.” source |
| Daily Caller | Right | No ownership data found |
| Israel Hayom | Right | Israel Hayom is owned by the family of Sheldon Adelson, an American businessman and casino tycoon. He was also one of the largest donors to the Republican Party. His wife Miriam Adelson is the publisher of the paper and also a prominent Republican donor. source |