Lead Decoding Antisemitism
University of Cambridge
Senior Research Fellow, AddressHate (NYC)
On June 13, 2025, Israel launched a wide-ranging military operation targeting nuclear facilities, air defense systems, and senior military leadership across Iran. The strike, unprecedented in scale and coordination, marked a turning point in an already volatile regional standoff. It was triggered by sustained threats from Tehran—including explicit calls for Israel’s destruction—alongside Iran’s enrichment of uranium to near-weapons-grade levels and defiance of international nuclear monitoring. These developments, coupled with months of cyberattacks and proxy skirmishes, set the stage for what Israeli officials framed as a necessary act of preemption.
The immediate international fallout included heightened alert levels across the region, culminating in a series of retaliatory missile and drone strikes launched by Iran on the evening of June 13. The attack involved hundreds of ballistic missiles and a coordinated drone barrage targeting Israeli sites. While the broader trajectory of escalation remained uncertain, tensions surged—and so did the digital response. As with many modern conflicts, the frontline extended beyond geography. The digital sphere—particularly YouTube comment sections—became a key arena for public interpretation, polarization, and projection.
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