Photo Misleadingly Attributed To Latest Israeli Bombing of Damascus
The Claim
A photo depicts the latest Israeli attack on Damascus.
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Emerging story
Multiple websites recently circulated an image allegedly from the latest Israeli attack on southern Damascus, the Syrian capital, on Friday, May 20. The image was used in articles reporting on the incident.
Photo Description: A screenshot of the circulating claim.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating claim and found it to be misleading; it was revealed that the photo is old and dates back to December 28, 2021. The photo depicts a fire caused by an Israeli bombing of the port of Latakia in western Syria, as seen in the screenshot below in reports by the Associated Press.
Photo Description: Credible news sources report on the fire in 2021.
An Israeli Missile Attack in the South of Damascus
The circulating photo started circulating following an Israeli bombing, with surface-to-surface missiles, targeting areas in the southern part of the Syrian capital, Damascus, on Friday, May 20, which resulted in deaths and injuries.
Latakia Port Bombing
On December 28, 2021, Israel bombed the port of Latakia in western Syria, with missiles launched from the Mediterranean, which led to a fire in a container storage area and caused significant losses. It is noteworthy to mention that Israel also bombed the port of Latakia on December 7, 2021, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at the time that the strikes hit an Iranian weapons container.
The result of the investigation confirms that the circulating image depicts the Latakia bombing in December 2021 and is unrelated to the recent events.
Translated by Dina Faisal
