An Israeli jet shooting down a Hezbollah drone? No, video is digital creation | Fact check
The claim: Video shows Israeli fighter aircraft shooting down a Hezbollah drone
[En Español: ¿Un avión israelí derribando un dron de Hezbolá? No, video es creación digital]
A Sept. 25 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a video of an aircraft shooting down a flying object.
“The Israeli Air Force is giving 100% to protect its people, working 24/7,” reads the text in Spanish. “Incredible images of a plane destroying a Hezbollah terrorist drone.”
The same video was shared on Instagram and X, formerly Twitter, where it was reposted more than 150 times. A similar, English version of the claim was also shared on Facebook.
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Our rating: Altered
The video was posted on YouTube and TikTok five months ago and was digitally created. It does not show an Israeli aircraft fighting a Hezbollah drone.
The video is digitally created, not a real event
Lebanon experienced its single deadliest day in decades on Sept. 23 as fighting between Israel and the military group Hezbollah intensified, escalating a conflict that has been brewing for a year, as Paste BN has reported. Back-and-forth airstrikes have fueled fears of an all-out war.
Fact check: Detonation of Hezbollah devices did not include iPhones
But contrary to the posts' claims, the video is not real and does not show Israeli fighters shooting down a Hezbollah drone.User Winder Shot, who describes themselves as a gaming video creator, posted the video on their YouTube and TikTok accounts on April 14. The user describes the video as an F-15 taking out drones and indicates the video was from Digital Combat Simulator, a digital game.
Paste BN reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
- @windershot, April 14, Tiktok video
- WinderShot (YouTube), April 14, F-15 takes out two drones | DCS
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