Recently, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon. Now, a video depicting a crowd involved in a physical altercation has been shared, with claims that it depicts a Shia-Sunni riot in Lebanon triggered by the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut. However, D-Intent Data has found that this assertion is misleading. The footage in question is actually from May 2018 and has no connection to the current situation in Lebanon or the broader Middle East conflicts.
Sharing the video on X (Formerly Twitter) serial fake news peddler and propagandist account @RealBababanaras wrote. After the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, the Shia Sunni riot started in Lebanon. Sunni Muslims are now killing Shia Muslims who are supporters of Hezbollah and driving them out of their areas.
Several other users and influencers have also disseminated the video and made similar claims. Their posts can be seen here, @imratijakhar, @Minnions44
The truth about the video shared as crowd after assassination of Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah, Fact Check
As soon as the posts containing the video and claims came to our notice. Subsequently, we conducted research and analysis of the video and found that the video was not recent but an old video from 2018.
To verify the claims made by the users. We performed a reverse image search of some key frames from the viral video on Google Lens. This led us to a report containing the same visuals, published in May 2018. According to the report, the Lebanese capital Beirut witnessed tensions on 7 May 2018 that almost led to sectarian strife, after convoys of supporters of Hezbollah and Amal Movement militias invaded several areas, chanting sectarian slogans after the results of the parliamentary elections were announced.
Therefore, it is evident from D-Intent Data’s Fact Check that the video was not related to the recent unrest in the Middle East. But an old video from May 2018.
Intent
Social media users and influencers are circulating old videos with misleading claims to set their narrative over the ongoing unrest in the Middle East.
Conclusion
Claim– Shia-Sunni riots erupted across Lebanon after the assassination of Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut.
Fact– The video was not recent but an old incident from May 2018. Not related to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
Related Article: Fact Check: Old video of Hamas rocket attack on Ashdod falsely shared as Hezbollah attack on Israel’s Acre – D-Intent Data (dintentdata.com)
