Fact Check: Old videos VIRAL as Israelis, Iranians fleeing amid ongoing conflict

India Today

5 hours ago

The conflict between Israel and Iran shows no sign of easing, with Iran stating that Pakistan would nuke the former if it resorted to nuclear warfare, though Pakistan has flatly denied this. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed that Iran was actively working on assassinating US President Donald Trump.Social media, meanwhile, has been rife with videos of people in both Israel and Iran allegedly fleeing their countries. In this story, we shall debunk three such videos.advertisementIsraelis fleeing an airport A video of people, including children, running helter-skelter, seemingly at an airport was widely shared. Many could be seen kneeling on the ground as sirens blared in the background. Those sharing the video claimed that this was a recent video from Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, where people ran as an attack was suspected.
We found that this video was shared by many social media accounts and news channels back on October 10, 2023. These old posts stated that the video showed residents of Ashkelon in Israel fleeing before the deadline of 5 o'clock. Per reports, Al-Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, had given residents of Ashkelon a deadline to leave before they launched an attack on the city in response to the targeting of civilians in the Gaza Strip.advertisementNotably, Israel's Ben Gurion Airport was shut down on June 13, and will remain closed until further notice.Iranian regime on the run A video, this time allegedly from Iran, showed a fleet of cars approaching a plane at an airport. Sharing the clip, many claimed that this video showed families of Iran's Islamic Regime fleeing by private jets, sensing a threat from Israel.This video, however, is both old and edited. It was shared on July 3, 2023, by a YouTube account stating that it was from Imam Khomeini International Airport in Tehran. Also, the original version did not feature the fleet of cars approaching the aeroplanes. That part seems to have been digitally edited into the viral clip.IDF soldiers surrender Another video making the rounds on social media purported to show Israel Defence Forces soldiers and pilots abandoning their posts and surrendering amid Iranian strikes.We found this video on multiple X posts from November 6, 2024. These posts stated that the clip showed police officers in Tel Aviv's Ayalon dispersing protesters and extinguishing fires on the highway.Per reports, a huge demonstration took place in Tel Aviv on November 5, 2024, in which hundreds of people blocked the Ayalon highway and set up two bonfires. The protest was against Benjamin Netanyahu's decision to dismiss Former Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Another video of the same incident, shot from a different angle, was also shared on X at the time.Thus, it's clear that these videos are not related to the present Iran-Israel conflict.Must Watch
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