https://nitter.poast.org/RealScottRitter/status/1781798093320593574

'Pepe Escobar has written a post where he reports that an Israeli F-35 carrying a nuclear weapon was shot down over Jordan by a Russian fighter.

While I respect Pepe as a journalist, his source is wrong.

Israel would never take such a precipitous action. Not only would it provide public acknowledgment of Israeli nuclear weapons capability, thereby putting Israel in open violation of existing agreements between it and the U.S., it would also put Israel in violation of the 1968 Outer Space Treaty prohibiting the deployment and/or use of nuclear weapons in space and the Biden administration’s recent admonishments in this regard.

Moreover, the scenario describes makes no sense in terms of the characterization of the weapons involved, both in terms of the alleged Russian-Israeli engagement, and what Israel would hope happens regarding EMP.

This is, in every way shape and form nonsensical reporting.

Pepe should retract his post.'

https://nitter.poast.org/simpatico771/status/1781814650465558809#m

'Of course, I don't necessarily buy this story but, for the people debunking it primarily by saying that a shoot down of a nuke-carrying plane would have triggered the nuke--that's not the case at all. A nuke doesn't get armed until it's launched and even destroying it before that would not "set it off". The U.S. has actually dropped several live nukes by accident from planes before and they did not go off even after falling from 30,000ft altitude because they weren't armed.
So while I think this story is not likely, it's certainly not for this particular reason.
In fact, this story comports with several recent rumors that predate it that spoke about Israel planning to use precisely an EMP style attack on Iran, for instance: https://telanganatoday.com/israel-is-reportedly-trying-the-emp-attack-on-iran-what-is-it And now, as most have seen, the U.S. has been talking about using its new CHAMP microwave missile to do the same exact thing--fry Iranian plants with EMP pulses.
So, given this context, Pepe's story is not entirely out of the blue or off-script per se, given what we know.'

further comments under that tweet:

Will Schryver@imetatronink
I am skeptical bordering on dismissive of Escobar's second-hand story for several reasons - none of which concern the potential detonation of an unarmed nuclear device.
But I would also note that some prior Iranian missile testing appears to be consonant with an EMP strike.

SIMPLICIUS Ѱ @simpatico771
The only real reason I'm even slightly entertaining it is because it beggars belief that someone of Pepe's stature would risk his hard-earned credibility/career over such a sensational story without really being convinced of its authenticity in ways we're not privy to.

Justin Glyn SJ @JustinGlynSJ
An interesting backgrounder. In which case, what elements make you sceptical?

SIMPLICIUS Ѱ @simpatico771
The total concert of improbable elements together. If it was one or two alone, then maybe. But it's the improbable nuke, with the improbable fact that Russia would somehow know all about it before hand, with the improbable fact that the claimed shoot down occurred over Jordan, which is pretty unrealistic. Maybe if Russia had shot them down over Syria, it would make for a more realistic tale, at the least.

*****

grist to the mill, don't have an opinion yet...
I