On Saturday, April 13, Iran launched an attack targeting Israel, marking its first direct assault on the Palestinian occupied territories. The attack consisted of dozens of drones and ballistic missiles.
The Iranian attack was a retaliatory measure in response to an Israeli attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on April 1, which resulted in the deaths of prominent leaders within the Iranian Revolutionary Guard.
Israel claimed that it successfully intercepted 99% of the missiles and drones launched from Iran, Iraq, and Yemen, with collaborative support from the United States, Britain, and France.
Misleading claims about the Iranian attack on Israel have spread across social media platforms. This article highlights the most prominent misleading claims about Iran, as investigated by Misbar during and after the attack.
A Photo Depicting the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Taking Control of an Israeli Ship
Several social media accounts have recently circulated a photo claimed to show an Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldier on the deck of the Israeli ship that Iran seized in the Strait of Hormuz on Saturday, April 13.
Misbar investigated the claim and found it to be misleading. The photo is old and dates back to a 2021 joint military exercise between the Iranian and Russian naval forces, not depicting an Iranian Revolutionary Guard soldier on the deck of the Israeli ship recently seized in the Strait of Hormuz.
A Video Showing the Missiles That Iran Launched Toward Israel
Following the Iranian attack on Israel, accounts on the X platform shared a video purporting to show missiles that Iran launched toward Israel.
However, Misbar’s investigation revealed that the video dates back to massive explosions that occurred at the Sevastopol port on the Crimean Peninsula on the evening of Saturday, March 23.
Congestion at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv Before Passover 2022
On Saturday, amid the Iranian attack on Israel, accounts on Facebook and platform X circulated another image alleging to depict a mass exodus of Jewish families leaving Israel via Ben Gurion Airport out of fear of Iranian threats.
Misbar's team found that the circulated photo is indeed from Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, captured on Thursday, April 14, 2022, just before the Passover holiday. It depicts congestion and chaos resulting from flight delays, as approximately 73,000 Israelis were expected to pass through the airport at that time.
Additionally, a video has gone viral on social media purporting to capture recent footage of an Iranian attack on Israel. However, it was discovered that the footage was actually published in early March, capturing forest fires that had broken out in the American state of Texas during that period. Further investigation by Misbar revealed that the footage had been circulating since February, shared by Chilean accounts claiming it was from the El Paraíso region in Chile.
A Photo of Khamenei's Visit to The Iranian Revolutionary Guard’s Aerospace Power Exhibition
After Iran announced the conclusion of its retaliation to the Israeli occupation forces' bombing of the Iranian consulate in Damascus, according to the statement from the Iranian mission to the United Nations, a photo circulated on the social media platform X. The publishers claimed it showed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei monitoring drones and ballistic missiles launched towards targets in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Misbar's investigation uncovered that the photo in question does not depict Ayatollah Khamenei monitoring drones and missiles during the Iranian attack on Israel. Instead, it was captured on August 23 of the previous year in Tehran. The occasion was the unveiling of an upgraded version of the "Mohajer-10" drones, which bear resemblance to the American MQ-9 Reaper drones, and the announcement of their commissioning.
The Consequences of the Iranian Attack on Israel
Israeli media outlets reported that the War Council convened for a second meeting on Monday to deliberate on potential responses to the Iranian attack on Israel, which took place on the evening of April 13, involving ballistic missiles and drones. Furthermore, the Political-Security Cabinet held a meeting on Sunday, followed by a gathering of the War Council in an underground bunker at the Israeli Ministry of Defense in Tel Aviv.
The United States, along with several European countries, have condemned the attack on Israel, affirming their support for the country. Furthermore, some European countries have urged Israel to refrain from retaliating, expressing concerns about further escalation in the region. According to Israeli media outlets, consultations are ongoing regarding a response to Iran, and a final decision has not yet been reached.
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This Photo Does Not Depict the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Taking Control of an Israeli Ship
