Importance Score: 65 / 100 🔴
False Claim: Video Does Not Show Israelis Fleeing Cities Amidst Iran Conflict
A video circulating on Facebook in Ethiopia falsely claims to depict Israelis fleeing their cities en masse following a warning from Iran amidst escalating tensions. This misleading post leverages the current unease surrounding the Israel Iran conflict, sparked by Israel’s attack on Iran on June 13, 2025, which triggered retaliatory measures. However, the video actually shows footage from the Velikoretsky religious pilgrimage in Russia and individuals gathering medicinal fungus in Nepal.
Dissemination of Misinformation
The Amharic text accompanying the deceptive video asserts: “Israelis leave cities due to Iran’s warning to evacuate their cities.”
An overlay on the video displays “Happy trip” alongside an Israeli flag emoji. The 29-second video is comprised of three separate clips, divided into two distinct sections.
- The top half presents hundreds of individuals traversing a hilly, arid terrain.
- The bottom half shows a large crowd walking along a street, oriented in the same direction, with many carrying backpacks. Another segment shows an overhead view of a crowd crossing a bridge.
The video was initially shared on June 17, 2025, and has since been shared over 190 times. A similar false post has been shared over 5,000 times.
Context: The Israel-Iran Conflict
The recent spike in tensions follows decades of strained relations, culminating with a significant aerial campaign initiated by Israel on June 13, 2025. Iran responded with a wave of missile and drone strikes.
Casualties and Impact
- Media reports indicate that, as of June 19, 2025, the exchange has resulted in over 200 fatalities, along with hundreds of injuries on both sides.
- Reports detailed that a hospital in southern Israel sustained damage from Iranian missile strikes. Concurrently, the Israeli military stated it struck an “inactive nuclear reactor” within Arak, Iran.
- International news outlets reported that Iranian forces issued warnings on June 15, 2025, urging Israelis to evacuate their country amid escalating rocket attacks.
Despite these tensions, the video in question does not depict Israelis fleeing their cities.
Origin of the Video Footage
Reverse image searches were conducted on keyframes from the video using InVID-WeVerify, a tool for video verification.
Velikoretsky Pilgrimage Identification
The segment displaying the crowd moving along the street and crossing the bridge was linked to an X post dated June 6, 2025. The Russian text accompanying this post identified the footage as depicting participants in the Velikoretsky religious pilgrimage.
About the Velikoretsky Pilgrimage
- The Velikoretsky pilgrimage is an annual Russian Orthodox event in early June that spans 110 miles (177 kilometers) through 12 locations in the Kirov region.
- The official website for the city of Kirov showcased the pilgrimage held on June 3, 2025, featuring an image matching the video segment.
Footage from Nepal
Investigation into the clip showing people walking in a hilly area revealed that it was initially posted on Telegram on June 2, 2025, well before the recent escalation of the Israel-Iran conflict.
Yarsagumba Harvest
This segment illustrates a group of individuals searching for Yarsagumba, a medicinal fungus, near Mount Dolpa in western Nepal. Every year, numerous people travel to the Dolpa highlands to collect Yarsagumba, which is highly valued.
In conclusion, none of the video clips used in the Facebook post are related to Israel or the current conflict with Iran.