[anigbrowl]

I consider any claims this fundamentally unreliable because there's too much propaganda value in lying, especially during the opening phases of a war. I also don't consider Khamenei that significant; he's an important theocratic figure obviously but doesn't have the same kind of weight or charisma that his predecessor had.

[bell-cot]

Disagree about the first part. Israeli intel agencies have very deep roots in Iran, and could very quickly be humiliated if Khamenei popped up with a jeering rebuttal to their claim.

[cogman10]

Israel also doesn't tend to report on major kills that didn't happen. It's one thing that they are fairly reliable on. If they say someone is dead, they likely are.

[kibibu]

Oddly enough, they also don't tend to report on minor deaths that do happen

[bell-cot]

Sadly enough, yes.

But not reporting "minor" deaths is SOP in the kill biz.

[kibibu]

(I was leaning on the dual meaning of "minor" here...)