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The Daily Caller
Article misinformation risk ★★★☆☆ 2.8/5 Significant problems · 1 checked claim

Israel Reportedly Attempted To Shoot Down Iran's Negotiators

The Daily Caller, citing The New York Times and anonymous U.S. officials, reports that Israel attempted to shoot down a diplomatic jet carrying Iranian negotiators Abbas Araghchi and Mohammad Ghalibaf after U.S.-Iran talks in Pakistan; two Israeli fighters allegedly entered Iranian airspace intending to attack, and the jet made an emergency landing in Mashhad.

Open the original The Daily Caller article ↗

Exaggerated
Public importance 35/100

“Israel attempted to kill Iran’s negotiators on their plane after talks between the U.S. and Iran in Pakistan.”

Attributed to The New York Times (as reported by the Daily Caller, citing anonymous U.S. officials)

✓ Proof standard met 4 reachable references Independent-source requirement passed
Original context and attribution

Article says NYT, citing anonymous U.S. officials, reported an Israeli attempt to shoot down the Iranian diplomatic plane carrying negotiators after talks in Pakistan.

What the proof shows

The Daily Caller’s headline asserts as fact that “Israel attempted to kill Iran’s negotiators on their plane.” Reporting from multiple major outlets (citing a New York Times investigation based on anonymous U.S. officials) says U.S. officials privately feared Israel might be planning to target Iran’s lead negotiators during April talks and that Iran’s delegation took extraordinary security precautions; Iranian sources say the delegation’s flight was warned and diverted and was escorted by Pakistani jets. Those reports are intelligence-based and attributed to anonymous officials; Israel’s government has publicly denied the account. Public, independently verifiable proof of an Israeli attempt (e.g., an official Israeli admission, declassified intercepts, or an independent agency finding) has not been released. Therefore the Daily Caller’s wording turns an intelligence-based, partially corroborated report and denials/claims into an unequivocal factual claim that an Israeli attempt occurred — which overstates what is publicly provable now.

Corrected version

The New York Times reported that U.S. officials privately feared Israel might have been planning to target Iran’s negotiators during April talks; Iranian sources say their plane was warned and diverted and was escorted by Pakistani jets, while Israel denies the report.

Automated evidence confidence: 0%

References and proof

Every link was reachable when published. Each proof point states how that source bears on the claim.

Independent reporting Supports

Israel Reportedly Attempted To Shoot Down Iran’s Negotiators ↗

The Daily Caller
Proof point

Israel attempted to kill Iran’s negotiators on their plane after talks between the U.S. and Iran concluded in Pakistan, The New York Times reported... Iran’s security forces notified the plane that two Israeli fighter jets had entered Iranian airspace with the intention of attacking it. However, the plane was not shot down as it made an emergency landing in Mashhad... the diplomatic jet also had an escort from Pakistani fighter jets.

Independent reporting Supports

Iran FM confirms reports Israel planned to target Tehran's negotiators ↗

Euronews (reporting, citing Iranian FM)
Proof point

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has confirmed media reports that officials in Washington believe Israel may have tried to kill Iran's top negotiators... Pakistani fighter jets escorted the Iranian delegation's aircraft from the Iranian border to Islamabad and back, and the Iranian aircraft made an emergency landing in Mashhad amid an alleged Israeli military threat.

Independent reporting Supports

The Intercept summary of NYT reporting (Rest of the World Report) ↗

Rest of the World Report (news summary referencing NYT)
Proof point

According to the New York Times... Ghalibaf was returning to Tehran from Islamabad... Pakistani fighter jets had escorted the Iranian delegation... Iranian security forces informed the aircraft that two Israeli fighter jets had entered Iranian airspace from the western border near Iraq and were preparing to attack. The plane made an emergency landing in Mashhad.

Independent reporting Supports

US-Iran War Daily Brief / aggregator note referencing Reuters: Israel removed two Iranian officials from its hit list after Pakistan intervened ↗

GlobalPolitics.in (aggregator citing Reuters)
Proof point

On 26 March, Reuters reported that Israel removed Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf from its hit list after Pakistan requested the United States to press Israel not to eliminate them.

COMMUNITY EVIDENCE

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