Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Hezbollah releases footage of its anti-ship missiles in a show of force against increasing US naval presence in the Mediterranean.
Fact
Viral video is from 2019 and not related to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
Several social media users are circulating a video, claiming that Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah has released footage of its “anti-ship missiles” in response to the increasing US naval presence in the Mediterranean amid the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The archived versions of the tweets can be seen here and here.
The US has reportedly warned Iran and Hezbollah that it would be ‘prepared to intervene militarily against them if they launched an attack against Israel’, following Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s speech, where he taunted Israel and the US and said that the Iran-backed militant group is not afraid of US warships. The US had deployed aircraft carriers in the eastern Mediterranean area as a deterrent of a possible attack at Israel’s northern borders by Hezbollah.
Also Read: 2015 Photo Of Reporter Back On Air After Being Hit By Grenade Goes Viral Amid Israel-Hamas Conflict
Fact Check
Newschecker first ran a keyword search for “Hezbollah anti-ship missiles”, which did not lead us to any credible news reports of any such recent offensive.
We then ran a reverse image search of keyframes of the video, which led us to this tweet thread, dated August 16, 2019, sharing the same video, stating that it shows the “С-802/Noor and C-704/Nasr missiles of military wing of Lebanese Hezbollah”.
A relevant keyword search then led us to this Iran Press news report, dated August 16, 2019, sharing the same video, stating that the footage depicting C-802 anti-ship cruise missiles has been released for the first time and that they belong to Hezbollah. A similar news report featuring a screenshot of the viral video can be seen here. We also came across this France24 report, dated November 7, 2023, confirming that the viral video is not recent.
Also Read: Viral Photo Of Shubman Gill With Sara Tendulkar Found To Be Doctored
Conclusion
2019 video of Hezbollah missiles goes viral amid 2023 Israel-Hamas conflict.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
Iran Press news report, August 16, 2019
France24 news report, November 7, 2023
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
