Retraction & Clarification: We saw reports circulating on social media claiming that Turkey had supplied Iran with advanced anti-aircraft and UAV missiles, and that a Turkish-made man-portable air defense system may have been involved in downing the U.S. F-15 over Iran. We published a post highlighting that "reports are circulating" and "at least two reports suggest...", clearly noting it was "Developing." We also added the usual disclaimers and devalued the claims as we normally do with fast-moving, unconfirmed information. However, as the story developed, the post was picked up and misinterpreted by some as confirmation of the claims rather than simply reporting that reports existed. It went viral and even reached the highest levels of the Turkish government, which issued an official denial through the Directorate of Communications, describing the allegations as baseless disinformation. Although we were careful to frame it as "reports of..." and "developing" — standard practice for independent accounts covering fast-moving conflicts — we have now deleted the post. This was never intended as a disinformation piece. As more verified information came in, and seeing how it was being interpreted, we removed it immediately. We will be even more cautious moving forward with such rapidly evolving stories. Apologies for any confusion caused.
