1,200 Israeli casualties in 72 hours: the Russian intelligence black hole nobody can verify
Russian intelligence claims that in 72 hours Israel has lost more than 1,200 personnel, including 6 generals, 32 Mossad agents and 11 nuclear scientists. The figure, spread by a Twitter account and echoed in analysis forums, runs into the wall of Israel's official silence and the absence of verifiable images. Meanwhile, the expansion of contracts to handle the personal effects of US soldiers at Dover base is fueling theories that Washington is also hiding casualties in the region.
The figures nobody confirms
The breakdown presented by Russian sources includes: 6 generals, 32 Mossad agents, 78 Shin Bet operatives, 198 Air Force officers, 462 soldiers, 11 nuclear scientists and 423 reservists. That adds up to 1,210 casualties in three days. No independent source has corroborated these numbers. The account that spread them, linked to cryptocurrency sales, further undermines its credibility. However, the fact that the original tweet was censored on some platforms is interpreted by some as a sign of veracity.
Skepticism as the majority stance
The dominant reaction among analysts is disbelief. It is recalled that during the war in Ukraine, Russia regularly released figures for Ukrainian and NATO casualties that later turned out to be exaggerated. Comparisons with Soviet propaganda are frequent. "I won't believe anything until I see an aircraft carrier with a hole in it," sums up a widespread position. Others point out that, although Iran has managed to inflict damage, a slaughter of that magnitude would be impossible to hide given the available signals and imagery intelligence capabilities.
The ghost of Dover base
One element feeding doubts about the official story is the posting of job openings at Dover Air Force Base, which handles the personal effects of deceased US soldiers. The staffing increase is interpreted as preparation to receive a large number of bodies from the Middle East. Although the news comes from sources such as Sonar21 and Military Times, there is no confirmation that this increase is directly related to operations in Iran or Israel. However, the parallel with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where casualties were systematically lied about, keeps the suspicion alive.
The question that remains hanging is whether the truth will ever be known. Israel and the United States have a proven track record of concealing casualties. Russia, for its part, has a clear incentive to inflate enemy losses. In between, anyone looking for verifiable data runs into an information void that only intelligence services could fill. And they aren't talking.
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