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AFP

Video does not show 'Israeli air force defection' in war with Iran

"Israel air force had quit and left their fighter planes to save the life of both countries / Good decision, soldiers!" reads Tagalog-language sticker text on a Facebook reel shared on June 20. It shows a group of men and women in uniform walking along a road with sirens and horns heard in the background. Several other Facebook posts peddled the same claim, while another version claims the video shows the Iranian army "walking out" from the war. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post taken on July 6, 2025, with the red X mark added by AFP Following a US-announced ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent Iran from ever rebuilding its nuclear facilities, raising the prospect of further conflict. However, the circulating clip was shared months before the war and shows an unrelated event. Tel Aviv protest Google reverse image searches of the video's keyframes led to an X post by Israeli journalist Bar Peleg on November 6, 2024 (archived here and here). The Hebrew-language description states border police officers at the Ayalon highway were moving to extinguish bonfires during a protest. At the clip's five-second mark, a woman in uniform can be seen holding a fire extinguisher. Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the identical footage uploaded to X in November 2024 Peleg shared another similar clip minutes later, saying the police were not attempting to clear protesters on the road (archived link). AFP published footage from a protest in Tel Aviv against the sacking of defence minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024, which shows demonstrators had set fires along a stretch of the Ayalon highway in the city (archived link). The 2022 Google Maps Street View of a portion of the Ayalon highway shows the same skyscraper named "Electra" on the left side of the highway (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the Google Maps Street View of the Ayalon Highway, with corresponding elements highlighted by AFP Other identical features from the falsely shared video include the bridge's V-shaped vertical support and the mid-rise buildings at the background (archived link). Image Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and the Google Maps Street View of the Ayalon Highway, with corresponding elements highlighted by AFP AFP has debunked several other clips falsely linked to the Iran-Israel war here.