NY Times reporter walks back post about 'randomness' of Israeli strikes on Iran

A New York Times newsman walked backmost her X station aft facing backlash for suggesting that Israeli strikes connected Iran randomly deed residential neighborhoods. 

"A person successful Tehran sent maine this video, flat analyzable lodging assemblage professors attacked straight crossed the thoroughfare from her house," Farnaz Fassihi, United Nations bureau main for The New York Times, said successful a Friday X post. 

"The randomness of strikes successful residential neighborhoods person terrified Iranians," she added.

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People stitchery successful the thoroughfare successful the aftermath of Israeli strikes, successful Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025.  (West Asia News Agency via REUTERS)

On Thursday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched extended strikes on Iran's subject infrastructure and atomic program, sidesplitting Commander-in-Chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami and the country's main of unit of the equipped forces, Gen. Mohammad Bagheri. 

While Fassihi called the strikes random, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the strikes were targeted, penning successful a Thursday X station that, "Moments ago, Israel launched Operation ‘Rising Lion’, a targeted subject cognition to rotation backmost the Iranian menace to Israel's precise survival. This cognition volition proceed for arsenic galore days arsenic it takes to region this threat."

In a aboriginal station connected Friday, Fassihi said, "About my tweet yesterday, I meant to accidental the consciousness of randomness caused by the strikes successful residential neighborhoods has terrified Iranians. As we've reported, Israel has said the strikes are targeted."

Fassihi faced beardown pushback connected X astatine archetypal for suggesting the strikes were random. She yet prevented users from replying to the post, though radical could inactive "quote" the station and remark connected it.

Podcaster and writer Stephen Miller posted connected X, "There is perfectly thing random astir these strikes but that doesn't halt New York Times reporters. Comments off." 

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People be an anti-Israeli protestation pursuing the Israeli strikes connected Iran, successful Tehran, Iran, June 13, 2025. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS   ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY

Guy Benson, Townhall governmental editor, besides took to X to code Fassihi’s post, saying, "Using the connection 'randomness' to picture the precision of what is happening is rather a choice." 

Noah Rothman, a elder writer astatine National Review Online, said, "Look. Nobody likes it erstwhile their metropolis is bombed. But successful the airy of day, amid grounds of the surgical precision with which Israel targeted authorities figures, galore of whom are not precisely beloved, the Iranian public's position should beryllium expected to evolve."

Radio big Tony Katz said her station did not unrecorded up to journalistic standards. 

"This is not journalism," Katz said. "This is propaganda."

In a connection to Fox News Digital, The New York Times said that it is "aggressively reporting connected Israel's strikes connected Iran, 1 of the astir oppressive countries for journalists to entree successful bid to study and verify facts successful breaking quality moments." The insubstantial added, "One of the ways we supply penetration into what's happening with the remainder of the satellite is to stock videos taken by radical connected the ground, including their perspectives."

Smoke rises aft an detonation successful Tehran, Iran, Friday, June 13, 2025. Israel attacked Iran's superior aboriginal Friday, with explosions booming crossed Tehran.(AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

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