Fact Check: Old video of Netanyahu running to vote falsely viral as him taking cover from Iranian missiles

Hyderabad: In response to the recent killings of a Guards commander and other key leaders, Iran launched missiles at Israel on Tuesday. As air raid alarms blared across the country, civilians scrambled to seek shelter.

In this context, a video circulating on social media claims to show Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu rushing through the corridors of a building to a bunker to protect himself from the Iranian attack.

An X user shared the video and wrote, “Israeli PM Netanyahu rushes to find bunker in Tel Aviv after Iranian missile attack.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is from 2021, inside the Knesset - the Israeli Parliament - when Netanyahu was hurrying to cast his vote.

With a keyword search, we found the same video on Netanyahu’s X account, dated December 14, 2021. The caption suggested that it was captured inside the Knesset.

We also conducted a keyword search in Hebrew and found the video published on the Israeli website Hidabroot on December 13, 2021. According to the website, Netanyahu was running from his office in the Knesset to make it in time for a vote in the plenum (Assembly).

We also found a screengrab from the video on the Israeli website kikar.co.il, in a report published on December 14, 2021. The report stated that during a vote on an explosives law, which passed by a single vote, opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu, who was in his office in the Knesset, rushed through the corridors to ensure he could participate in the critical vote.

Hence, we conclude that the video is old and does not show Netanyahu escaping the recent Iranian missile attacks.