The Israeli Ambassador In Cyprus Denies News Of His Kidnapping
The Claim
the Israeli ambassador in Cyprus was kidnapped along with two of his companions on the coast.
News posted on
Emerging story
In the aftermath of the Iranian retaliatory attack on Israel, several fake and misleading news spread. One of the claims that went very viral on social media was that the Israeli ambassador in Cyprus was kidnapped along with two of his companions on the coast.
The claim was attributed to Reuters News Agency and was shared by several media outlets. The Iranian news outlet Mehr News Agency reported on the claim in an article titled, “Israeli ambassador to Cyprus reportedly kidnapped.”
The Egyptian news website, Sada Elbalad English, also shared the claim. The website claimed that Cypriot security agencies have confirmed the abduction of the Israeli ambassador and his two bodyguards.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral claim and found it to be fake.
Unsubstantiated Claims Of Israeli Ambassador Kidnaping
Misbar’s team searched the viral claim and did not find any records indicating the claim from any credible media outlets.
People who shared the claim attributed it to Reuters news agency. However, searching through the latest reports in Reuters, no report of such a claim could be found.
When searching the name of the Israeli ambassador in Cyprus, Oren Anolik, no result could be found on the site.
When searching on the keywords “Israeli,” “ambassador,” and “Cyrpus,” only eight results appear - the newest of them is from last June, several months before the circulation of the claim in question, and all of them are general.
The Reuters Press Team commented on the viral claim on their account on X dismissing the claim and stating that, “Reuters did not report this.”
The Israeli Ambassador in Cyprus Denies News Of Kidnapping
Following the outbreak of fake news of his kidnapping, the Israeli ambassador uploaded a video on his social media explaining that he is safe and described his news of kidnapping as fake news.
In the video, Anolik described the spread of the fake claim as a “creative way” to make people wishing him a happy new Jewish year, as the first day of the new jewish year marks October 3.
Israeli Officials Call For Attacking Iran
In response to Iran’s missile attack on Israel, Israeli officials are conferring with the U.S. to calibrate their military response, which could result in a regional war in the Middle East.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described that attack as “a big mistake,” warning that Iran will pay for it. Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli has also made similar statements.
Likewise, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich wrote on X: “Like Gaza, Hezbollah and Lebanon, Iran will regret the moment.”
Almog Cohen, a member in Itamar Ben-Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party, described Iran’s attack as a declaration of war on Israel, stressing, “These foolish actions will open the gates of hell for them.”
Israeli officials are expected to be currently considering a “significant retaliation,” to the Iranian retaliatory attack within days that could target oil production facilities inside Iran and other strategic sites, as reported by the U.S. website Axios.
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