Outdated Photo Shared as Fatemiyoun Brigade Joining Hezbollah Recently
The Claim
Thousands of Afghan fighters from the Fatemiyoun Brigade arriving in Syria to potentially bolster Hezbollah's ranks.
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Amid the recent tensions between Hezbollah and Israel, social media buzzed with a photo claiming to show thousands of Afghan fighters from the Fatemiyoun Brigade arriving in Syria to potentially bolster Hezbollah's ranks. This claim was attributed to the i24 TV channel.
An X user circulated the photo, along with the caption, “Thousands of additional Afghan fighters from the Fatemiyoun Brigade have arrived in Syria to bolster Hezbollah's ranks if needed - I24. It's already happening. After announcing just a few weeks ago, the Taliban are already fulfilling their promise. Taliban brigades are being formed and are preparing in Syria for the war with Israel. Next are the Houthis, who have a huge mobilization potential - 2 million reservists.”
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral photo and found the claim to be misleading.
After conducting a thorough reverse image search, Misbar’s team found the widely circulating photo to be outdated.
Outdated Photo Shows Members of the Fatemiyoun Division March Up a Hill in Syria
Contrary to social media users' viral claim, the photo was not taken recently after the Fatemiyoun Division's deployment to support Hezbollah against Israel.
Misbar’s investigative team traced the earliest publication date of the photo back to 2018. Salaam Times shared the photo in April 2018 in an article titled "Burgeoning Russia-Iran Alliance Inflames Sectarian Tensions Across Muslim World."
The photo’s caption reads, “Members of the IRGC-backed Afghan Fatemiyoun Division march up a hill in this updated photo from Syria, where they are fighting, with the Russian military's help, to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and Iran's sectarian interests.”
The news outlet confirmed that the photo is not recent but does not provide the exact date when it was captured.
The same photo also appeared on other websites in Urdu and Uzbek, sharing the same article but in different languages.
i24 News Channel Did Not Report the Claim
Although the claim was attributed to i24 News, a television channel created by journalists and reporters from Israel, Misbar’s team did not find any articles from the outlet supporting the claim.
The Difference Between Fatemiyoun Brigade and the Taliban
According to reports, the Fatemiyoun Brigade is an Iranian-backed group primarily composed of Shia Afghan refugees in Iran and members of the Hazara Shia minority in Afghanistan. Hazaras, who make up 9–10% of Afghanistan's population, have faced persecution from the Sunni Taliban and fled to Iran, where many were recruited into the group.
The Fatemiyoun Brigade has been involved in conflicts in Yemen and Syria, with estimates suggesting up to 50,000 troops deployed to support President Bashar al-Assad against ISIS.
In 2019, the U.S. designated the Fatemiyoun in Syria as a terrorist organization for supporting Iran's Revolutionary Guard.
On the other hand, the Taliban, also known as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is an Afghani movement rooted in Pashtun nationalism and the Deobandi school of Islamic fundamentalism.
The Taliban views the Fatemiyoun as an Iranian proxy, and while the Hazara community in Afghanistan has faced significant aggression from the Taliban and ISIS, there is potential for a Hazara resistance led by experienced Fatemiyoun veterans. Iran's official policy towards the Fatemiyoun in Afghanistan remains unclear, although the Taliban has not sought to establish ties with the group.
Thousands of Iranian Fighters Are Ready to Join Hezbollah
According to Euro News, thousands of fighters from Iran-backed groups across the Middle East are ready to join Lebanon's Hezbollah in a potential large-scale conflict with Israel if tensions escalate further.
This comes amid almost daily exchanges of fire along Lebanon's northern border with Israel since the onset of the recent Israeli war on Gaza in early October. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced plans to deploy additional troops to the northern border, indicating a shift in focus from the Gaza conflict. The escalating situation with Hezbollah raises concerns about a broader regional conflict involving Iran's proxies and possibly Iran itself.
Israel-Hezbollah Tension Escalates
The intensity of exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah has escalated following an Israeli airstrike that killed one of Hezbollah's senior commanders, Taleb Abdullah, in southeastern Lebanon.
Hezbollah responded by launching over two hundred rockets into northern Israel, marking one of its largest attacks since October 7. Israeli officials have threatened a military offensive in Lebanon unless there is a negotiated resolution to move Hezbollah away from the border.
The increase in hostilities and subsequent rhetoric has raised concerns among officials about the potential for a broader regional conflict. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres cautioned that Lebanon "could not afford to become another Gaza" and that "the risk for the conflict in the Middle East to widen is real - and must be avoided."
Hezbollah's deputy leader recently stated that the only viable path to a ceasefire on the Lebanon-Israel border is through a full ceasefire in Gaza.
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