20: Chapter 20 provides a vague response.

Although the USA tried to cover up and block news of the Global Hawk crash, the troop movements by Israel and eyewitness accounts from residents near the Golan Heights had been brewing overnight. News reports began to surface, though they were a mix of truth and fiction.

The "Rhine Reader" reported that a violent explosion of unknown cause occurred in the skies over the Golan Heights last night. Shortly after the explosion, Israeli troops appeared at the scene. According to eyewitnesses, the explosion happened after a fighter jet was hit.

According to the latest news from "The Sun Sensationalist," the explosion over the Golan Heights last night caused panic among local residents. An analysis by an anonymous source suggested that a Russian fighter jet might have been destroyed by Israeli air defense missiles. The model was a Su-35 fighter jet, which was intercepted while intruding into Israel. However, local residents still chose to flee the area, causing temporary chaos and expressing dissatisfaction over the Russian intrusion.

The "Daily Sky" reported that an air battle took place over the Golan Heights last night between Israel and Iran, ending with the crash of a fighter jet. Currently, neither the Israeli nor the Iranian Ministry of Defense has responded, and there is a possibility of further escalation in the conflict.

Many photos were leaked on the social media network TwitFake, all taken by local residents, but the posted content was bizarre and varied.

Some said Israel continued to launch airstrikes on military bases within Syria, but they were intercepted in advance by Iran.

Others claimed that a USA fighter jet deployed in Syria suffered a mechanical failure, causing it to suddenly explode and crash in mid-air.

Some said Iran retaliated against Israel's previous airstrikes by using air defense missiles to shoot down an Israeli fighter jet.

Seeing photos of some wreckage fragments, some experts jumped out to explain, believing it was a USA fighter jet and that a plane deployed in Syria had likely been attacked.

Other experts believed it was an Israeli aircraft, specifically a reconnaissance plane, and confidently identified it as the "King of the Skies" reconnaissance plane.

Suddenly, the news spread everywhere. As more and more photos leaked, the truth gradually began to emerge.

After verification, some relatively serious news media outlets pointed out that a USA fighter jet had crashed. The model was likely an F-35 multirole Fighter Jet, an E-3B AWACS, or a Global Hawk. Based on the reaction of the Israeli military, there were likely no casualties, making a Global Hawk crash the most probable scenario.

Regarding the cause of the crash, some believed it was a mechanical failure of the Global Hawk, considering it had been in service for a long time.

Others believed it was shot down by air defense missiles, possibly from Russia or Iran. Only these two countries possessed air defense missiles capable of destroying a Global Hawk.

Of course, some random organizations also claimed to be the masterminds behind the destruction of the Global Hawk, but none provided actual evidence. Moreover, these organizations didn't have advanced air defense missiles at all, so they were treated as a joke.

After receiving Major General Hunter's report on the situation, the United States Department of Defense intended to maintain a silent posture for the time being.

Therefore, at the routine press conference the next day, when the spokesperson heard a question from a reporter about it, they completely feigned ignorance and tried to skip the related questions.

A reporter raised their hand to ask: "It is reported that a fighter jet crash occurred last night. According to military experts, the crashed aircraft was a Global Hawk. Currently, only the USA has Global Hawks deployed around the Golan Heights. Could you provide some details?"

The Black spokesperson said, "I am not aware of this situation. Please do not ask questions based on unconfirmed information."

Another persistent reporter asked: "According to soldiers from the Israeli military, the USA Air Force Command in Italy sent them a request for assistance last night, asking for a total lockdown of the Global Hawk crash site. Was the crashed jet a Global Hawk? Will this crash affect the USA's deployment in the region?"

The Black spokesperson said impatiently, "I have already responded clearly. Next question."

Seeing many reporters eager to follow up on the details of the Global Hawk crash, the spokesperson lost interest in answering questions and hurriedly ended the routine press conference.

However, the news media did not reduce their coverage of the Global Hawk crash just because the United States Department of Defense spokesperson refused to respond. Instead, they did everything possible to find more sources, wanting to report the truth and capitalize on the news traffic from this accident.

The US Intelligence and Investigation Bureau issued warnings to these media outlets. However, only major media outlets from the USA, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France obediently followed the Intelligence Investigation Bureau's warnings. A group of unknown tabloids continued to gleefully fabricate news.

The TwitFake social network also received a warning and had to delete a large number of related photos and comments. They directly deactivated some accounts, banned many others, labeled all related tweets as fake news, and modified their recommendation algorithm to forcibly reduce the popularity of content related to the Global Hawk crash.

Iran was happy to see the media reports. As long as the media kept chasing the USA for the truth, the longer the USA hid it, the more damage it would do to its image, which was a good thing for Iran.

After seeing that the United States Department of Defense spokesperson did not directly respond to the Global Hawk crash, the Iranian Ministry of Defense did not hold a press conference but instead issued a statement.

In the statement, the Iranian military pointed out that the crash in the Golan Heights was indeed a Global Hawk being hit by an air defense missile. Although the Israeli military had promptly sent troops to seal off the crash site, high-definition photos and fragments of the Global Hawk wreckage were still captured by conscientious residents.

At the end of the statement, the captured high-definition photos and wreckage fragments of the Global Hawk were released. Any professional military expert could easily determine the model of the crashed aircraft.

Suddenly, even more eyes were focused on the Global Hawk crash.

There was a wave of doubt regarding the statements of the United States Department of Defense spokesperson, with many criticizing them for lying through their teeth.

The United States Department of Defense wanted to play dead on the matter, waiting until a detailed investigation report was available before responding.

But more and more USA citizens also demanded to know the truth about the Global Hawk crash as soon as possible, refusing to be kept in the dark.

The popularity of the news did not decline after the intervention of the US Intelligence and Investigation Bureau; instead, even more people became aware of the Global Hawk crash.