Viral clip shows Israeli tanks in the West Bank, not Syria

A clip is being shared on social media with claims it shows Israeli forces advancing into Syria, but it actually shows a recent scene in Jenin, a city in the occupied West Bank.

One X (formerly Twitter) post sharing the clip—which shows two tanks flying the Israeli flag passing groups of onlookers—had more than 2,000 shares before it was deleted. It said: “BREAKING: Israeli forces advance into Syrian territory in a shocking and humiliating scene, right in front of civilians’ eyes.” 

While there have been recent reports of Israeli tanks in southwestern Syria, this clip actually shows scenes in the West Bank. Footage of the same tanks was shared by Al Jazeera on 24 February with the description (translated from Arabic by Google): “A Palestinian activist broadcast footage documenting the arrival of Israeli tanks around the Jenin camp in the West Bank.”

Two buildings in the background of the social media clip are clearly visible in the footage shared by Al Jazeera, and also appear in video reports of the same event from Reuters and the BBC. 

A black sign with white text in Arabic saying: “Abu Atiya Company and Roasters is 900 metres away” (translated by Google) appears in both the social media clip and the Al Jazeera footage. The sign appears to refer to a company, which lists its location as Jenin on Facebook and shared a video on TikTok in 2023 which appears to show the same buildings featured in the recent clips. 

Moreover, the same man in a grey coat appears in both the social media clip and the Al Jazeera footage. The social media clip also shows a person filming the tanks wearing a ‘Press’ vest, which it seems from the camera angle is the person who took the footage shared by Al Jazeera. 

The footage reportedly shows the first time in 20 years that Israeli tanks have been sent to the West Bank. The BBC reported that over 40,000 people in four refugee camps in the West Bank had been evacuated in the wake of what Israel is calling Operation Iron Wall.

Israel has been carrying out airstrikes on Syrian military sites following the ousting of the former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. It has also moved troops into a UN-monitored buffer zone set up between the two countries, with the IDF confirming that its forces were “operating in southern Syria, within the buffer zone and at strategic points”. 

Israel has reportedly said this was to maintain security following the fall of the Assad regime. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since said troops will be there “until another arrangement is found that ensures Israel’s security”. 

We’ve written about many examples of misleading images and videos concerning recent conflict in the Middle East circulating online. It is important to consider whether something shows what it claims to before sharing it—you can read more about this in our guide on how to fact check misleading videos.