On June 13, Israel launched an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities and arsenals (source). In retaliation, that same night, Iran fired missiles targeting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in Israel. In the wake of these events, a claim began circulating on Facebook alleging that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fled the country fearing renewed Iranian attacks and sought help from Russian President Putin. A photo has also been used in these posts to support the claim, showing Netanyahu shaking hands with a woman wearing a hijab.
See such Facebook posts here (archive) and here (archive).
Fact-check
An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team found that the information being spread—that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fled the country and sought help from the Russian President—is not accurate. Moreover, the photo being circulated is not related to any meeting about the Iran-Israel conflict. In fact, the photo was taken in 2022 during Netanyahu’s meeting with Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the UAE’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. The woman in the photo is Reem Al Hashimy, the UAE’s Minister of State for International Cooperation.
Through reverse image search, the image was found on the website of UAE news agency WAM in a report published on September 16, 2022, titled “Abdullah bin Zayed meets Benjamin Netanyahu”.
Upon reviewing the report, it was confirmed that one of the images used in it exactly matches the one being circulated in the misleading posts. It shows Netanyahu shaking hands with UAE Minister Reem Al Hashimy. Additionally, the report clarifies that the photo was taken on September 16, 2022, during a meeting between then-Israeli opposition leader and former Prime Minister Netanyahu and Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Besides Al Nahyan and Reem Al Hashimy, several other UAE ministers were present at the meeting. The report includes additional photos of Netanyahu with these ministers.
The same image can also be found in a report on the same event published by another UAE media outlet, Al Khaleej. That report also confirms the same information about the image.
Further investigation using keyword searches did not uncover any credible information or reliable news sources confirming the claim that Netanyahu fled the country and sought help from the Russian President.
Conclusion
An old photo of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu meeting UAE Minister of State for International Cooperation Reem Al Hashimy is being falsely used to claim he fled Israel and sought assistance from Russian President Putin. This claim is false.
Sources
- WAM Website: “Abdullah bin Zayed meets Benjamin Netanyahu”
- Al Khaleej Website: “Abdullah bin Zayed, Netanyahu discuss efforts to achieve peace and stability”
