FACT CHECK: Image Showing UN Vehicle With Hezbollah Flag Is Missing Context

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on X claims to show a United Nations (UN) vehicle with a Hezbollah flag.

Verdict: Misleading

The vehicle was attacked, and the flag was added to the vehicle forcefully, not by choice. The image is also from April 2024.

Fact Check:

Sources told Reuters that Israel has continued to demine areas near the Golan Heights, with the possibility that the country could expand its offensive against Hezbollah.

Social media users are sharing an image of a UN truck with a Hezbollah flag, claiming that the UN is helping terrorists. One user wrote, “Here is a photo of an UNIFIL truck with a Hezbollah flag on it. Are all UN agencies helping terrorists?”

This claim is missing important context. First, the image is a screengrab from a video in April 2024 and is not recent or connected to the recent events in Lebanon. It shows a vehicle that was attacked by Lebanese residents, per an Israeli reporter.

“In the village of Barishit in southern Lebanon, residents attacked a UNIFIL force patrol that entered one of the residential neighborhoods. The Lebanese army intervened and removed the force from the village. Among other things, you can see that the vehicle’s tires were punctured and a Hezbollah flag was hung on it,” the tweet reads.

Tal Hagin, an open-source intelligence (OSINT) analyst, debunked the claim in an Oct. 13 tweet. (RELATED: FACT CHECK: Video Shows 2003 Baghdad Bombing, Not Israeli Attack)

“Misleading: This photo doesn’t showcase cooperation between UNIFIL & Hezbollah. This is from a video taken back on April 1st, 2024 which reports it showcases residents of a village in Southern Lebanon attacking the UNIFIL patrol, slashing their tires and hanging the flag,” Hagin tweeted.

An Israeli outlet also reported on the incident.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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