Fact Check: Operation Sindoor - Fox News reports Pak shot down Indian fighter jet? No, video report is from 2019
An old video report of Fox News has been circulating, falsely claiming that the media outlet has reported Pakistan downing an IAF Rafale jet.
By Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows the wreckage of a Rafale fighter jet shot down by Pakistan, as reported by Fox News.
Fact:The claim is false. The Fox News report is from 2019 and shows an IAF helicopter crash in Kashmirās Budgam on February 27, 2019.
In retaliation for Operation Sindoor, carried out by the Indian Army on May 7 to target nine terrorist sites, Pakistan has claimed to have shot down multiple Indian fighter jets. However, during a press briefing detailing the operation, the Indian Army did not disclose any information regarding collateral damage.
Meanwhile, a video report purportedly from Fox News has been circulating online, alleging that Pakistan shot down an Indian Air Force (IAF) Rafale fighter jet.
The video shows a burning wreckage of what is said to be a crashed jet, surrounded by civilians and military personnel. A reporter can be heard saying, āThe Pakistani military shot down two Indian jets today as the countries clashed in the remote Kashmir region, an area where the two nuclear-armed nations have been in conflict for decades.ā
Sharing the video, an X user wrote, āEven Fox News reported that Pakistan shot down an Indian Rafale.ā (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found the claim false, as the Fox News report is old.
We conducted a keyword search on Fox Newsā official YouTube channel and found the extended version of the video report, which was originally published on February 28, 2019. The report stated that the Pakistani military had shot down Indian jets after India carried out airstrikes on Pakistani targets. However, it did not provide any specific details about the crashed jet shown in the video.
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video led us to three ANI images that matched the visuals. These were shared by the official X handle of The Times of India on February 27, 2019, identifying the scene as the crash site of an Indian Air Force (IAF) jet in Budgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
A report published by the newspaper on February 27, 2019, stated that the crash of an IAF helicopter in the Budgam district of Jammu and Kashmir led to the death of five people.
Here is the comparison of identical visuals from a screengrab of the viral video and an image posted by TOI.
We also found the same visuals in a video report published by The Hindu on the same day, stating that the video shows an Indian Air Force (IAF) helicopter which crashed in central Kashmir's Budgam on February 27, 2019.
Hence, we conclude that the claim that the video shows wreckage of a Rafale fighter jet shot down by Pakistan in retaliation for Operation Sindoor is false.
