Old video from Gaza is shared as footage of a recent Iranian attack on an Israeli military base
A video (here, here, and here) circulating on social media, shows buildings and tents destroyed in an explosion, with captions claiming that Iran destroyed 30 Israeli F-35 fighter jets. Let’s find out the truth behind this video.
Claim: Video showing the aftermath of an Iranian attack on Israel in which Iran destroyed 30 Israeli F-35 fighter jets.
Fact: The video is unrelated to any Iranian attack, and actually shows the aftermath of an Israeli bombing in Rafah, Gaza, on 12 February 2024. Though the Iranian state television claimed that Iran attacked Nevatim Airbase, where Israel’s F-35 jets are housed, on 2 October 2024, the viral footage does not depict this event. Hence the claim is MISLEADING.
To verify the truth behind this video, we conducted a reverse image search using frames from the footage. This led us to a Turkish media report that captioned the image, stating, “The Palestinian mayor warned of a humanitarian disaster in Rafah ahead of a potential Israeli onslaught.” The report included the same image from the viral video, describing it as the aftermath of Israeli attacks in Rafah, Gaza, on 12 February 2024. The footage depicts an empty field where Palestinians had set up tents, with nearby buildings heavily damaged by the attacks.
Further research led us to a YouTube video by Al Arabiya and Al Hadath, uploaded on 12 February 2024. Both Saudi state-owned international Arabic news channels showed the same viral footage, reporting that the visuals depicted the aftermath of an Israeli bombing attack on Rafah, Gaza.
At the same time, according to multiple media reports (here and here), Chief of the General Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, told the Press that on the night of 01 October 2024, the Nevatim airbase, the Netzarim military facility, and the Tel Nof intelligence unit in Israel were targeted in an attack referred to as “Operation True Promise II.” The Nevatim airbase is where Israel’s F-35 fighter jets are stationed.
To sum up, an old video of Gaza is being shared as footage of a recent Iranian attack on an Israeli military base.