A recently circulated image depicts a few men dressed in military uniforms, visibly armed and seated in what seems to be a state of exhaustion. The context suggests they are part of a military operation. This image has been widely shared on social media, with claims asserting that it is related to a recent Hezbollah attack on Israel. However, D-Intent Data has discovered that the image was old from 2004 and unrelated to the recent Hezbollah attack on Israel.
Sharing the image on X (Formerly Twitter) Pro-Palestinian account @PurpleRain69824 wrote. “Hezbollah attacks Golani Bridade Army base near Haifa using a drone. 3 dead, 70 seriously injured. It’s said the attack targeted Israel Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi who was present during the strike. Israeli soldiers crying after the attack!”
Serial fake news peddler and propagandist account @ShaykhSulaiman also shared the image and wrote. “Life when it’s not kids that you are bombings…” Later, he deleted the post.
Several other users, influencers and propagandists have also disseminated the image and made similar claims. Their posts can be seen here, @jacksonhinklle, @stairwayto3dom, @osSWSso, @valbistan, @HamdiCelikbas
The truth about the viral image shared as conflict in the Middle East, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the image and claims came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis of the image and found that the image was not recent. But an old image from 2004.
To verify the claims made by the users. We performed a reverse image search on Google Lens. This led us to the Stock photography website ‘Alamy’ containing the same image uploaded in April 2004.
The post caption reads, “Israeli army soldiers wait as army specialists inspect a tunnel found in a house during an army operation at the Rafah refugee camp, adjacent to the Palestinian town of Rafah, next to the Egyptian border in the southern Gaza Strip early Saturday, April 3, 2004. The Israeli army periodically finds and destroys tunnels used, according to the army, by Palestinian militants to smuggle weapons and explosives from Egypt into the Gaza Strip.”
Therefore, it is evident from D-Intent Data’s Fact Check that the viral image of IDF soldiers was not recent. But an old image from 2004 and unrelated to Hezbollah’s attack on Israel.
Intent
Propagandists are circulating decades old images with misleading claims. To set their narrative against Israel over the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Conclusion
Claim– The image depicts Israeli soldiers in a fatigued state after Hezbollah’s attack on Israel.
Fact– The image depicts Israeli army soldiers waiting as army specialists inspect a tunnel found in a house during an army operation at the Rafah refugee camp, in 2004.
Related Article: Fact Check: Old, unrelated and unverified video of drone attack falsely linked to the recent Iranian attack on Israel – D-Intent Data (dintentdata.com)
