Old images passed off as recent attacks on U.S. military bases in Syria

By: Ishita Goel
October 27 2023

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Screenshots of X posts claiming that the images show U.S. bases in Syria being attacked in 2023.(Source: X/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

What's the context?

Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and continued U.S. support for Israel, multiple attacks on U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq and Syria have been recently reported. CNN reported that during the October 16-22, 2023 week, a series of drone attacks were recorded at American bases in Iraq and Syria, and around 21 U.S. service members were injured. Associated Press wrote that one drone was shot down, but another caused injuries, and one of the drone attacks was conducted on an oil facility in eastern Syria that housed American troops. Anadolu Agency reported on October 24 that the "Al-Omar oil field in Deir ez-Zor where U.S. forces are based" was attacked, along with two other U.S. bases in Al-Shaddadi and Al-Hasakah. 

What's the claim?

Amid this, images showing explosions went viral on social media, with social media users alleging that they showed recent attacks on the U.S. bases in Syria. An X user (archived link) shared a collage of images and said, “This is NOT Gaza. This is the combined attack on three US bases by Iranian militias in Syria.” Another archived link to a news website in the Russian language alleging the same can be found here. 

Screenshot of claims circulating online, upper left (first image), upper right (second image), and lower center (third image) (Source: X/Screenshots/Modified by Logically Facts)

An image showing an explosion at the horizon with mobile towers in the foreground has been shared with a caption, "U.S. troops in Syria's Al-Omar oil field were just ATTACKED." Jackson Hinkle, a known mis-/disinformation spreader on X, also shared the image with the same caption. Archived versions of the posts can be found here, here, and here. 

The second image, showing an explosion against a reddish background, was shared with the caption, “This is not #Gaza! This is the combined attack on three US bases by Iranian militias in #Syria!” Archived versions of the posts can be found here and here.

The third image showing an explosion against a black background, has been shared with the caption, “BREAKING NEWS: U.S. troops occupying Syria’s Al-Omar oil field were allegedly just attacked.” "Dom Lucre | Breaker of Narratives," a known mis-/disinformation spreader on X, also shared the image with the same caption. Here is an archived version. 

We found that all the images are old and are unrelated to the recent drone attack on U.S. military bases. 

Image showing explosion at the horizon 

Through reverse image search, we found that one of the images showing an explosion at the horizon with mobile towers in the foreground dates back to 2020. The Guardian published the image in an article dated February 24, 2020, captioned "An Israel airstrike at Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip early on Sunday. Rocket fire from Islamic Jihad prompted a second round of strikes, in Syria and Gaza." in which it reported that the Israeli jets had launched an airstrike attack against the Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip and Syria. Similarly, BBC reported on the attack on February 24 and captioned the image: "Israel said it launched air strikes in Gaza and Syria in response to rocket fire."

The Guardian and the BBC published the image in 2020 (Source: The Guardian/BBC/Screenshots)

In 2020, in response to a rocket fire, the Israeli military attacked the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza and Syria. The attack left a few deaths and injuries among people. BBC reported that PIJ claimed responsibility for the rocket fire, calling it a response to the killing of its fighter at the border fence.

Image of explosion against reddish background 

The second image showing an explosion against a reddish background, dates back to 2019. Getty Images published the image and wrote, “A picture taken in the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor shows explosions following shelling by the US-backed forces on the Islamic State group's embattled holdout of Baghouz, on March 11, 2019.” France 24, on March 15, 2019, in an article on Syria and the war, added the viral image with the same caption that the image is from the eastern Syrian province of Deir Ezzor.

The image was published by France 24 and Getty Images in 2019 (Source: France24, Getty Images/Screenshots)

In 2019, the  Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the US-led coalition attacked the IS bastion. Following this, SDF spokesman Mustefa Bali stated that thousands of members of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist militia had surrendered, France 24 had reported on March 13, 2019. Getty Images added in the caption, "The Jihadists once ruled over millions in a swathe of Syria and Iraq, but they have since lost all that territory except for a riverside slither of land near the Iraqi border.”

Image of an explosion against a black background

The third image, showing an explosion against a black background and partially lit buildings, dates back to 2018. Reuters published the image and captioned it: “An explosion is seen during an Israeli air strike on Hamas's television station, in Gaza City November 12, 2018.” Times of Israel reported about the attack on November 13, 2018, and captioned the image, “A picture taken on November 12, 2018, shows a ball of fire above the building housing the Hamas-run television station al-Aqsa TV in Gaza City during an Israeli air strike.”

The image was published by the Reuters and Times of Israel in 2018. (Source: Reuters/Times of Israel/Screenshot)

In 2018, Reuters reported that during a surge in cross-border fighting, Israeli warplanes bombed the studios of Hamas’s television station in the Gaza Strip. 

The verdict

Old images with origins varying from 2018 to 2020 involving different attacks by Israeli forces and US-backed SDF have been falsely linked to the recent attacks on U.S. military bases in Syria. Therefore, we are marking the claim as false.