The truth about the video “The moment Netanyahu escaped from Iranian missiles”

On Tuesday night, Iran launched an unprecedented missile attack on Israel, which it said was in response to the assassination of the head of the political bureau of the Palestinian movement Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, and the Secretary-General of Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah. . After that, social media pages and accounts in several languages ​​around the world circulated a video that was said to show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fleeing as missiles fell on Tel Aviv.

But this video is actually old, and it shows Netanyahu running to a meeting in the Knesset in 2021, and the video shows Benjamin Netanyahu running through the corridors of a building.

The comments accompanying the posts said, “Just now Netanyahu fled as he was heading for shelter from Iranian missiles. “

This video has received wide circulation and hundreds of thousands of views since it was first published in this context, shortly after the Iranian missile attack, which sparked widespread interest on social media sites in Arabic.

I am always proud to run for you. 🇮🇱💪🏻

It was taken half an hour ago in the Knesset pic.twitter.com/Tk386NOKU5

– Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) December 13, 2021

Thousands of social media users in the Middle East shared photos and video clips that were quoted from news stations, including scenes of projectiles being fired in the sky of Israel. The hashtags related to this attack were at the top of the X website throughout the Arab region.

Iran said its attack came in response to the assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah in a violent Israeli attack in southern Beirut on Friday, and to the July 31 assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in an attack attributed to Israel. . .

Although Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the attack targeted “three military bases” near Tel Aviv, and that 90% of the missiles hit their targets, the Israeli army said “Iran’s attack is a dangerous and heavy escalation and victory,” and that “Iran and its proxies want to destroy Israel.”

It is the second attack Iran has launched against Israel after the April attack, when Tehran said it was acting in “self-defense” after the attack destroyed its consulate in Damascus and which led to the death of seven soldiers.

As a result of this atmosphere of tension and escalation, this video spread, which its publishers said showed the Israeli Prime Minister fleeing under the bombardment. But the claim is not true.

AFP investigative journalists quickly flagged this video, as it had previously been used in other false contexts.

This video was first published on Netanyahu’s page on the X website, on December 13, 2021.

The accompanying statement in Hebrew said Netanyahu was in a hurry to participate in the Knesset session.

He said in the comment, “I’m always proud to run for you. “