By: Sam Doak
October 16 2023
Video recorded in 2018 does not show rockets being fired at Israel from Lebanon
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
This video was recorded in 2018, amid Turkish miliary operations in northern Syria.
Claim ID 3284c15b
Context
On October 15, 2023, fighters affiliated with Hezbollah launched a series of attacks on multiple Israeli-held sites close to Lebanon’s border with Israel. These actions follow a steady escalation in hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which has occurred in the days since the recent outbreak of conflict between the country and Hamas.
As fears have risen concerning a potential full-scale conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, a video has been widely shared by X users. It consists of low-quality footage showing multiple rockets being fired from a site on rough terrain. Describing the clip, one verified X user stated, “A massive missile launch towards Israel was filmed in Lebanon.” Similarly, another verified user of the platform characterized the footage as evidence of “A massive missile launch towards Israel.”
While the footage in question does show missiles being launched, Logically Facts has found that it was filmed in northern Syria in January 2018, predating the currently ongoing hostilities.
In fact
A reverse image search reveals that this video was published online by the Turkish newspaper Takvim on January 20, 2018. In an accompanying caption, Takvim states “While the warplanes belonging to the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) started to hit the PYD/PKK targets in Afrin. This is how the fire moment of multiple rocket launchers on the border was viewed.”
Searching for news coverage of the conflict in Afrin in January 2018, Logically Facts found a second copy of this video published by TRT Haber on Facebook. In this post, the Turkish television channel describes the clip, stating “Within the scope of Operation Olive Branch, Turkish Armed Forces hit terrorist targets in Afrin with multi-barreled rocket launchers.”
According to the BBC, Operation Olive Tree was launched in January 2018 by the Turkish government with the aim of targeting Kurdish forces in Northern Syria.
The verdict
This video does not show militants in Lebanon targeting Israeli territory with rockets. It was filmed in January 2018, in the early days of Operation Olive Tree, a military campaign conducted by Turkish forces in northern Syria. This claim has therefore been marked as false.