Authors
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
The Shahed drones that reached Israel being thwarted by the Iron dome defence mechanism.
Also read: Video Showing Crowds Thronging Al Aqsa Mosque Not Related To Recent Attack On Israel By Iran
Fact
We split the viral video into several keyframes and conducted a reverse image search on the keyframes which led us to several social media posts from October 2023, sharing the same footage, and claiming to show the Hamas attack on Israel being thwarted by the Iron dome defence system in Israel.
One such post by handle @philbeckbraga on Instagram on October 12, 2023 had the caption, “Stunning record of many rockets fired by Hamas from Gaza towards the Israeli city of Ashkelon moments ago. The explosion in the sky are the interception of rockets by Israeli air defense “Iron Dome.”
We further continued our research to find an NDTV article carrying a similar keyframe. The article, posted on October 13, 2023, had the headline “A ‘New Front’ In Hamas War Depends On Israel’s Actions, Says Iran” and went on to describe Iran’s role in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.
We also found a fact check of the same video by Check Your Fact, on October 31, 2023, which revealed that the video was from Ashkelon, and from October 12, 2023. It also carried the same video uploaded on the YouTube page of Telegraph.
Thus, we find that the viral video claiming to show Iranian drones being thwarted by the Iron dome defence mechanism in Israel is old.
Result: False
Our Sources
Instagram post by @philbeckbraga, dated October 12, 2023
Report by NDTV, dated October 13, 2023
Report by Check Your Fact, dated October 31, 2023
If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form. Follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates.
Authors
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.
