Video shows 2021 Lebanese protest at Israeli border wall | Fact check

Hannah Hudnall, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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The claim: Video shows Lebanese people scaling Israeli border wall in October 2023

An Oct. 13 Facebook video (direct link, archive link) shows a crowd gathered at the base of a wall, some waving flags, as dozens attempt to scale the wall.

"Breaking Alert," reads the post's caption. "Lebanese youth are trying to climb the barrier wall of Israel."

Similar versions of the claim have been shared on Instagram, Facebook and X, formerly Twitter.

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Our rating: False

The video was captured in 2021. It is unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

Video captured two years before Israel-Hamas war

The Israel-Hamas war entered its second week on Oct. 14, with the death toll reaching more than 4,000 on both sides.

But the Facebook video is not related to this current conflict and the protest it shows did not occur recently.

The video was shared on YouTube on May 20, 2021, more than two years before Hamas' Oct. 7 surprise attack on Israel.

Similar footage was shared in May 2021 by CNN Arabia, which reported it shows Lebanese protesters storming the wall on the Lebanese-Israeli border. The broadcast shows men chanting, throwing stones and climbing the 25-foot wall separating Lebanon and Israel. A group of men are shown hoisting the Palestinian and Hezbollah flags atop the wall, as can be seen in the Facebook video as well.

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The brown building seen in the background of the Facebook video is also shown in photos captured of the protest by Reuters and Getty Images on May 15, 2021. The captions of the images state the protest took place in a southern village near the Israeli-Lebanese border and was prompted by Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip.

The Associated Press also captured photos of the demonstration.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Lead Stories, Reuters, AP and Check Your Fact also debunked the claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video of Lebanese men climbing border wall from 2021 | Fact check