Israeli Defense Force

Did singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran perform for wounded soldiers of the Israeli Defense Forces to show support for Israel? No, that's not true: Sheeran denied this rumor in a now-deleted Instagram story. He stated a charity organization bought tickets to his "large scale public concert." Other reputable entertainment media outlets also posted about Sheeran's denial of the rumor. The implied claim…

Does a viral video show an Israeli tank destroyed "by the resistance's fire" in Lebanon in October 2024? No, that's not true: The claim recycled footage of a Russian tank in Ukraine that emerged on social media nearly a year before the start of Israel's September 30, 2024, ground operation in Lebanon. Ukrainian media initially posted the footage on October…

Does a video on an Iranian news website show a blaze that broke out in Tel Aviv, Israel, following an Iranian drone strike in October 2024? No, that's not true: The same footage appeared in June 2022 on a YouTube channel belonging to news outlet Al-Jazeera. The description from 2022 says it shows a fire that broke out at a…

Did former Mossad director Efraim Halevy say in 2024 that Israel armed Al Qaeda? No, that's not true: A viral video did not contain the words described in social media posts. The footage was 8 years old when it resurfaced on social media in 2024. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, by…

Did American actor Chris Evans sign a live bomb in 2016 in a photo op? No, that's not true: The object the "Captain America" actor signed was not an explosive device, but a replica, an inert training aid. The actor was at Incirlik Air Base in Turkey on a USO tour with several other entertainers on December 5, 2016. When…

Did President Joe Biden give $16 billion of American money away to Iran in 2023? No, that's not true: First, it's important to say that the amount in question is $6 billion, not $16 billion. Secondly, the money wasn't U.S. taxpayer dollars to begin with; the funds were Iranian financial assets that had been frozen in South Korea due to…

Did Iran attack the Navy vessel USS Liberty off the coast of Bahrain in April 2024? No, that's not true: The U.S. Navy does not have an active ship by that name at the time of writing, and there were no reports of any other U.S. vessel being hit by Iranian missiles as of April 2, 2024, the day the…

Is a photograph that appears to show Israeli military personnel posing with the Israeli and ISIS flags authentic? No, that's not true: The image has been doctored. The original photograph does not include the black-and-white flag associated with the Islamic State, or ISIS. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on March 7,…

Did the Israel Defense Forces not open fire near trucks delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza on February 29, 2024? No, that's not true: The Israel Defense Forces officially acknowledged that Israeli soldiers fired shots within proximity of the incident. However the exact circumstances of the events leading up to the death of dozens of people remain disputed at the time…

Did Assistant to the Secretary of Defense John Kirby say that the "true number of civilians deaths in Gaza is zero"? No, that's not true: That is a misquote that drastically changes the meaning of what Kirby said. No such quote is found in the transcript of the briefing shown in the Tweet that makes the claim. What Kirby did…