Claim: Fifteen Israeli A-10 jets have dropped bombs on Iran in retaliation for the latter’s missile attacks on October 1, 2024.
Rating: FALSE
Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook reel containing the claim has over 10,000 views, 387 reactions, and 77 comments as of writing.
The video was originally posted on YouTube by a channel with 169,000 subscribers.
The bottom line: The videos do not show actual footage of an Israeli attack on Iran. They feature clips from the multiplayer sandbox game Arma 3 produced by game developer Bohemia Interactive.
In the YouTube video’s description, a disclaimer states: “All videos on this channel are of the Arma 3 simulation game! They do not reflect reality and are a product of the author’s imagination!”
However, the reel posted on Facebook does not bear this disclaimer. Several comments on both videos also indicate that many social media users believe the video to be true.
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Israel-Iran conflict: The videos were posted after Iran fired missiles at Israel on Tuesday, October 1. According to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, the missile strikes were in retaliation for Israel’s assassinations of militant leaders and its attacks against Hezbollah, an Iran-backed armed group in Lebanon. (IN PHOTOS: Iran bombards Israel amid growing cross-border hostilities)
As of writing, Israel has not retaliated against Iran, although Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu immediately pledged to fight back, as US President Joe Biden swore to back Israel.
Flights from all of Iran’s airports were briefly ordered grounded from 9 pm on Sunday, October 6, until 6 am local time on Monday as the country braced itself for an Israeli counter-attack. According to CNN’s live updates, flights resumed late Sunday night.
The growing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East come amid the one-year anniversary of the fighting in the Gaza Strip, with fears that the conflict may escalate into a regional war.
Debunked: Rappler has previously fact-checked game simulation videos that were misrepresented as real footage of military actions and attacks in different countries:
- FACT CHECK: Video shows game simulation, not US, PH missile attack on China
- FACT CHECK: Video of ‘Putin capture’ is just game simulation
- FACT CHECK: Video of ‘Israel-Palestine conflict’ is just a game simulation
– Katarina Ruflo/Rappler.com
Katarina Ruflo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
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