Who would stand to benefit the most from stirring up the Mideast against Israel and the U.S., hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm???
Xinhua frequently scoops Reuters and AP with stories. I see it every day. Maybe it's the time difference, but they are often first.
They don't seem to lie about hard news like this either. I don't trust them for internal Chinese stuff, but in foreign affairs, they are excellent.