Old Photo of Crowded Ben Gurion Airport Resurfaces After Houthis' Drone Attack on Israel
The Claim
A photo shows Israelis fleeing the airport after the Houthis attack.
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Emerging story
Following Yemen's Houthis' drone attack on a target in Israel, social media users widely shared a photo alleging to show Tel Aviv airport crowded with passengers fleeing Israel.
An X user posted the photo that has amassed over 1.5 million views, along with the caption, "Tel Aviv airport. It's great to have the freedom to flee when you feel scared and under threat, isn't it?"
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 photo to be older than claimed.
Old Photo of Ben Gurion Airport Shared After Houthis Attack Israel
The photo was not taken following the recent Houthis' attack on Israel, as claimed by social media users.
The photo was captured on October 8, 2023, at Ben Gurion Airport. The image shows passengers waiting in the departure section to flee Israel after the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation began on October 7.
The photo was uploaded to a published CNBC article about suspending Israel flights after the October 7 operation.
The photo’s caption reads, “People wait in departing section at Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s only international airport, after many flights from abroad are cancelled due to the attacks launched by Palestinian factions in Tel Aviv, Israel on October 8, 2023.”
The same photo was shared by Global Times newspaper on October 9, 2023.
Airlines Cancel Israel Flights After Operation Al-Aqsa Flood in October 2023
Several airlines suspended services to Israel following the surprise Operation Al-Aqsa Flood by the Palestinian resistance factions.
United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines all canceled flights to Tel Aviv. Delta suspended its flights through the end of October 2023, and United Airlines canceled flights until conditions improved. German airline Lufthansa and its subsidiaries Swiss International Air Lines and Austrian Airlines also halted flights to Tel Aviv. British Airways, Air France, Wizz, and easyJet followed suit with flight cancellations and service reductions.
Israel Strikes Yemen After Houthis' Drone Attack on Tel Aviv
On Friday, the Yemeni Houthi group launched a drone strike on Tel Aviv, hitting an apartment building in the city center. The attack resulted in one death and injured at least 10 others.
Israel is investigating how its defenses failed to prevent the strike, which involved an Iranian-made drone. The Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the attack, stating it was in retaliation for Israel's war in Gaza.
Israel launched air strikes on the Houthi movement in Yemen a day after the drone strike by the group hit Tel Aviv. Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the aim was to send a message to the Houthis. "The fire that is currently burning in Hodeidah, is seen across the Middle East and the significance is clear," he said.
Houthi official Mohammed Abdulsalam condemned the air strikes, calling them a "brutal Israeli aggression against Yemen." He states that the strikes were intended to pressure the Houthis to stop supporting Palestinians in Gaza, which he declared would not happen.
This marks the first time Israel has directly responded to what it claims have been hundreds of Yemeni drone and missile attacks on its territory in recent months. The airstrikes targeted the Houthi-controlled Red Sea port of Hodeidah on Saturday evening, igniting huge fires. The Houthi-run government in Sana'a reported that the strikes hit oil storage facilities and a nearby power plant, resulting in civilian casualties.
Yahya Saree, the spokesman for Yemen's Houthi movement, stated that the Israeli attack targeted civilian facilities.
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