On June 13, Israel launched an attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities and armories (source). In retaliation, that same night, Iran carried out missile strikes targeting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. According to reports (source), at least 8 people were killed and more than 130 injured in the missile strikes that hit Tel Aviv, West Galilee, and Haifa regions. In this context, a video has been circulated on the social media platform Facebook, claiming it shows the destruction of Israel’s Defense Headquarters by Iran’s missile attack.
Watch such a video shared on Facebook here (archive), here (archive), and here (archive).
Fact Check
The Rumor Scanner team’s investigation reveals that the circulated video does not show the destruction of Israel’s Defense Headquarters by Iran’s missile attack. In reality, this old video shows a residential building in Lebanon being destroyed by an Israeli airstrike and has been misrepresented with the current claim.
During the investigation into the claim, a video posted on January 16 by an Instagram account with the username dunia_ya_vita was found (link).
Upon reviewing the video, it is confirmed to be the original version of the one now circulating with the false claim. Specifically, a cropped portion of the clip showing a missile hitting a building was used to create the misleading video. Additionally, translating the title of the video into English reveals that it refers to Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.
Based on this information, a keyword search led to a report published on November 17, 2024, on CNN’s website titled AP photographer captures moment bomb hits apartment building in Lebanon.
According to the report, the incident occurred on November 15, 2024, in the Tayouneh area of Beirut, Lebanon. The building was targeted in an airstrike by Israel, claiming that Hezbollah members were present there. The report also includes several photographs taken at the time by an Associated Press photographer who was present at the scene.
However, no reliable sources have confirmed whether the IDF Headquarters or the Israeli Defense Forces’ headquarters have been damaged in Iran’s missile strike amid the ongoing conflict.
Conclusion
An old video of an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon is being falsely circulated with the misleading claim that it shows Iran’s missile strike destroying Israel’s Defense Headquarters. This is misleading.
Sources
- dunia_ya_vita Instagram Account Post
- CNN Website: AP photographer captures moment bomb hits apartment building in Lebanon
