Fact Check: Iran shoots down American Black Hawk helicopter? No, video is old footage from Syria
A video claiming to show a US Black Hawk helicopter being hit by an Iranian missile is going viral amid the ongoing conflict.
By - M Ramesh Naik
Claim:The video shows an American Black Hawk helicopter struck by an Iranian heat-seeking missile.
Fact:False. The video shows a Syrian Mi-17 helicopter shot down by rebels in Idlib in February 2020.
Hyderabad: The ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran has seen a rise in military confrontations in recent days. Reports indicate that Iranian forces have shot down two US military aircraft, including an F-15 Strike Eagle and an A-10 Warthog. Three pilots involved in the incidents have been rescued, The Guardian reported.
Amid this backdrop, a video showing a helicopter being hit mid-air by a missile and exploding has gone viral on social media. Users claim the footage shows an American Black Hawk helicopter struck by an Iranian missile.
In the viral video, a helicopter is seen flying before a missile hits it, causing a burst of flames and smoke. The aircraft then breaks apart and falls from the sky.
A Facebook user shared the video with the caption, “Watch how an Iranian missile struck an American Black Hawk helicopter.” (Translated from Telugu) (Archive)
Similar posts can be seen here and here. (Archive 1, Archive 2)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The viral video does not show a US Black Hawk helicopter being hit by an Iranian missile. It is old footage from 2020.
Video from Syria, not recent conflict
A reverse image search using keyframes from the viral video led us to the same clip uploaded on YouTube by The Telegraph on February 11, 2020.
The description of the video states that it shows a Syrian Air Force helicopter being shot down by rebels in the Nayrab area of eastern Idlib, Syria, using ground-to-air missiles.
Further reports by the Associated Press confirmed that the helicopter involved was a Syrian Mi-17, and both pilots on board were killed in the incident.
The viral video does not show any incident involving an American Black Hawk helicopter or the ongoing Iran-Israel-US conflict. It is old footage from Syria.
Therefore, the claim is false.
Did Iran shoot down American Black Hawk helicopter?
Iran has released images claiming to show destroyed US aircraft following a rescue operation involving a downed F-15E Strike Eagle. According to Iranian claims, two C-130 transport aircraft and two Black Hawk helicopters were lost during the operation.
However, US sources have stated that some aircraft may have been intentionally destroyed to prevent them from falling into enemy hands. The visuals are being circulated amid heightened tensions between Washington and Tehran, with both sides presenting differing accounts of the incident.
