Misleading Scenes Allegedly Show Recent Israeli Tank Advance in Southern Lebanon

Israeli forces have continued operations in Lebanon despite a U.S.-brokered ceasefire for more than a year. Most recently, the Israeli military intensified airstrikes on southern Lebanon, raising fears of a renewed escalation. Amid the heightened tension, social media users circulated misleading scenes claiming to show Israeli tanks advancing in southern Lebanon.

Misleading Videos Circulate Amid Concerns of Israeli Aggression Against Lebanon

Israeli occupation forces have repeatedly violated the ceasefire agreement signed between Lebanon and Israel on November 27, 2024, after months of reciprocal attacks. In recent days, Israel has escalated its attacks on Lebanon, killing dozens in strikes across multiple locations.

Amid the escalation, social media users circulated two videos claiming to show Israeli tanks advancing in southern Lebanon.

The first clip shows Al Jazeera correspondent Hamdah Salhut reporting with Israeli tank movements visible in the background. Salhut said the tanks were moving toward the Lebanese border.

A news page on X recently shared the footage with the caption, “In The Video: Tanks belonging to the “Israeli” occupation army move toward southern Lebanon.”

Another Threads user shared the same footage, raising doubts about the ceasefire agreement and writing, “Israel appears to be moving tanks near the Lebanon border after several strikes hit inside Lebanese territory. Ceasefire where?”

Misbar’s investigative team conducted a thorough reverse image search and found the footage to be outdated. The reporter posted the video on her TikTok account on October 9, 2023, two days after the outbreak of the Israeli war on Gaza. She captioned the video, “The Israeli military deploys dozens of tanks along the Lebanese border in the north.”

Social media users also widely circulated another video claiming to show recent movements of Israeli tanks in southern Lebanon.

An X user posted the footage with the caption: “Merkava tanks rolling in force toward the Lebanese border. The IDF is showing it’s fully ready asp video.”

Misbar’s team also found the footage making the rounds to be older than claimed. Although the video is related to the Israeli-Lebanese unrest, it does not depict recent events.

An Israeli user posted the footage on X on October 2, 2024, after Israeli occupation forces launched an invasion of southern Lebanon a day earlier. The user wrote along the footage, “Israel Defense Forces expand the operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Pray for our troops.”

Reports of Israeli Tank Movements in Southern Lebanon

On November 5, UNIFIL monitored the movement of Israeli military vehicles in southern Lebanon, including Merkava tanks.

Speaking at a press conference in New York, U.N. Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said UNIFIL peacekeepers continue to track Israeli military presence and activity within the mission’s area of operations. He said UNIFIL observed the movement of more than 100 Israeli military vehicles in the eastern sector and about 60 vehicles in the western sector.

Haq added that peacekeepers reported approximately 300 rounds of small-arms fire from south of the Blue Line, which landed near a UNIFIL position in the Kfar Shuba area. He also said the mission recorded around 100 direct hits near Shebaa in the eastern sector the previous day.

“We remind all parties of their obligation to ensure the safety and security of United Nations personnel and to respect their property at all times,” Haq said.

On November 16, the U.N. peacekeeping mission reported that bursts of heavy artillery struck an area just five meters from UNIFIL peacekeepers, forcing them to retreat quickly and take cover.

According to a UNIFIL statement, mission representatives contacted the Israeli occupation forces through established communication channels and requested an immediate halt to the fire. The patrol withdrew safely about half an hour later, after the tank pulled back to IOF positions.

“Fortunately, no one was injured,” the statement said, describing the incident as a serious violation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah.

In response to media inquiries, IOF representatives claimed that the incident occurred due to a misidentification of UNIFIL forces caused by weather conditions. They insisted that there was no intention to target peacekeepers.

Growing Fears of Renewed Israeli Aggression in Lebanon

Fears are mounting that Israel may renew large-scale military action against Lebanon, according to Israeli media reports.

Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper quoted an Israeli official on Friday as saying that “the likelihood of the war resuming in Lebanon is high.” The report said Israeli officials view a confrontation on the northern front as inevitable, arguing that the Lebanese government cannot disarm Hezbollah on its own.

According to the report, U.S. officials understood that Israel is serious about resuming its war in Lebanon. However, Washington does not support such a move and hopes there is still time to prevent a wider escalation.

Earlier this month, the head of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said there was “no evidence” that Hezbollah is rearming in southern Lebanon. However, the report said that failure by the Lebanese Army to complete the disarmament process by the end of the month could increase the risk of a return to war.

Despite a ceasefire agreed on November 27, 2024, Israel has continued to carry out strikes across parts of Lebanon, including areas near Beirut.

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