An old video of Benjamin Netanyahu running through the corridors of a building is circulating online with a false claim that it shows Israel's prime minister fleeing to a bunker following missile strikes from Iran in escalating tension in the Middle East.
BOOM found that the video dates back to 2021, when Netanyahu was not the prime minister of Israel. It shows him running through the corridors of the Knesset, Israel's unicameral parliament, to participate in a vote.
Iran launched several missiles at Israel in retaliation for the latter's targeted strikes against Tehran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon which killed the militant group's leader Hassan Nasrallah. The escalating aggression has brought the Middle East on the brink of an all out war. In response to the attack, Netanyahu stated that Iran would face consequences for its actions, while Tehran warned that any retaliation would result in "vast destruction," heightening fears of a broader war.
A verified X handle shared the video and wrote, "HAHAHA THIS GENOCIDAL (expletive) IS RUNNING TO HIS BUNKER! GOD BLESS IRAN!"
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
The video is also being shared on Facebook with a similar misleading claim.
Click here to view one such post.
Fact Check
BOOM split the video into several keyframes and ran reverse image searches using Google Lens. This led us to a news report from December 14, 2021, published by the Israeli news outlet Now 14, which featured a screenshot from the same video.
The report in Hebrew included a post from Netanyahu's official X account that carried the same video, stating that the Leader of the Opposition, Benjamin Netanyahu, was captured running through the corridors of the Knesset to attend a vote. According to the report, one of his aides recorded his route while he was running.
We also found a tweet by Netanyahu dated December 14, 2021 that included the same clip. He shared the video on his official X account, captioning it in Hebrew: "I am always proud to run for you. This was recorded half an hour ago in the Knesset."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Another Israeli news outlet, Kikar, also reported on the video, stating that during a vote on a bill, opposition leader Netanyahu, who was in his room at the Knesset, was summoned for the vote and started running through the corridors of the Knesset to ensure he could participate.
The Knesset, Israel's unicameral parliament, serves as the nation's legislative body.
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