FACT CHECK: Contrary To Claim Made In Facebook Post, No IDF General Named Irwin Baran Exists
An image shared on Facebook claims to show Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with a now-deceased Israel Defense Forces (IDF) general named Irwin Baran.
Verdict: False
The image shows Netanyahu with IDF Acting Battalion Commander Lt.-Col. Nader Eyadat. There is no evidence an IDF general named Irwin Baran exists. A spokesperson for the IDF denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
Fact Check:
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The Facebook image claims to show Netanyahu with the purported IDF general Baran. “A big blow to Isreal! [sic] Tonight, it has been reported that General Irwin Baran, of the Israeli Special Operations and Incursions Brigade, has been dispatched to the purgatory by the Gazans,” the post’s caption reads. A red “X” can be seen over the soldier’s face.
The claim is false, however. The image shows Netanyahu with IDF Acting Battalion Commander Lt.-Col. Nader Eyadat. The image was originally shared on the Israeli Prime Minister’s verified Facebook page on Nov. 13.
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today, visited IDF Desert Patrol Battalion 585 (the Bedouin Patrol Battalion), which is under the command of the Southern Brigade,” the post reads in part.
“The Prime Minister was briefed on the activity of the unit by Acting Battalion Commander Lt.-Col. Nader Eyadat, and spoke with the commanders on the combat they led on October 7th in clearing the area. Prime Minister Netanyahu also heard from Assistant Company Commander Topaz Hajbi and Reserve Acting Company Commander Mahmoud Hiv on the combat they led from their residences in the south,” it continues.
The image also appears in a post on the Israeli government’s website highlighting Netanyahu’s recent visit with the IDF. In addition, no one with the name “Irwin Baran” is included in the IDF’s list of soldiers who have been killed as a result of the current Israel-Hamas conflict. (RELATED: Does Image Show An Israeli Soldier Standing On A Palestinian Child?)
Furthermore, Check Your Fact did not find any credible news reports supporting the claim. A spokesperson for the IDF denied the claim’s validity in an email to Check Your Fact.
“The IDF is not aware of such reports. All information of fallen soldiers can be found on the IDF website,” the spokesperson said.
