Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
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
Visuals from the assassination site of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran’s Tehran.
Fact
Old video from Syria’s Damascus shared in false context.
Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an airstrike in Iran’s capital Tehran during the early hours on Wednesday. Hamas and the Iranian authorities blamed Israel for the Haniyeh’s assassination and also threatened “harsh punishment” for the country following the attack.
In this backdrop, several social media users shared a video allegedly showing the building in Tehran which was targeted to assassinate Ismail Haniyeh. Newschecker, however, found the claim to be untrue.
Multiple X users, including verified users, shared the 11-second-long-video claiming to show the visuals from Tehran following the Hamas leader’s death.
Such posts can be seen here, here, here and here.
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Fact Check/Verification
A Google lens search on the keyframes of the viral footage led us to an X post by @OALD24, dated April 2, 2024. Carrying the same video, the post stated, “Until this moment, and after hours of Israeli airstrikes on the vicinity of the Iranian consulate in the Mezzeh neighbourhood of the capital Damascus, the search for additional casualties among the IRGC militias and other individuals is ongoing.”
Another X post by @Syribelle from April 2024 also carried the same footage. “The search and debris removal operation of the consulate building of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus is still ongoing,” the post stated.
The Iranian embassy’s consular annex in Damascus, Syria was destroyed in an Israeli attack earlier this year. Senior commander in the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, Brig Gen Mohammad Reza Zahedi and multiple other diplomats were killed in the attack, prompting Iran to “vow” revenge.
Also Read: Muttiah Muralitharan Grooving To ‘Tauba Tauba’? No, Video Viral With False Claim
An AFP report on the incident further stated that the strike “killed at least 13 people when it hit the consular annex of Iran’s embassy, Iranian state media reported. Two generals and five other personnel from the Iranian Revolutionary Guards were among the dead…”
The report also featured an image showing a location similar to the one seen in the viral footage. “The strike killed at least 13 people when it hit the consular annex of Iran’s embassy,” its caption stated.
On comparing the image featured in the report with the keyframes of the viral footage, we could conclude that both the visuals were from the same location.
We were also able to geo-locate one of the buildings seen in the viral footage in Damascus.
The building stands on the other end of the road from the Iranian embassy in Damascus. Hence, confirming that the video was shot in Syria’s capital Damascus, and not Tehran as widely claimed.
Also Read: Viral Photo Of Israeli Swimmers In “Bring Them Home Now” Formation Is Not From Paris Olympics
Conclusion
Hence, an old video from Syria has been shared to show the assassination site of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran
Result: False
Sources
Report By AFP, Dated April 2, 2024
Google Images
Google Maps
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Authors
Vasudha noticed the growing problem of mis/disinformation online after studying New Media at ACJ in Chennai and became interested in separating facts from fiction. She is interested in learning how global issues affect individuals on a micro level. Before joining Newschecker’s English team, she was working with Latestly.
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.
