Israeli Journo Tweets Old Video as Footage of IDF's Recent Airstrike on Alleged Iranian Targets in Syria

An Israeli journalist has shared an old video on his Twitter account, claiming that it was the footage of Israel's recent airstrikes on the Syrian capital of Damascus that thwarted an alleged Iranian plan to attack the Jewish state.

Since the Israel Defence Forces confirmed it had conducted an air raid on Syria on Saturday night, Israeli journalist Shimon Aran tweeted a video claiming to show the missiles successfully reaching their supposed "Iranian" targets on the outskirts of Damascus. 

Echoing the IDF statement, Aran wrote that the raid foiled a "terrorist operation" allegedly planned by the Iranian Quds Force and Shiite militias against Israeli targets involving armed drones.

דובר צה"ל:

"מתווה הפיגוע שסוכל שכלל בתכנון שיגור מספר רחפנים חמושים נגד מטרות ישראליות.

צה"ל נמצא במוכנות גבוהה להמשך הגנה ופעולה ככל שיידרשו נגד כוונות לפיגוע נגד מדינת ישראל ורואה באיראן ובמשטר הסורי אחראים ישירים לניסיון הפיגוע שסוכל".

(סרטון שיוצא עכשיו בסוריה) pic.twitter.com/zo761VOZZS

— שמעון ארן شمعون آران (@simonarann) 24 августа 2019 г.

However, the footage, which was quickly picked up by various media outlets, appeared to be taken in 2018 during an earlier Israeli attack on Syria.

The observation was made by social media users, who found the original video online, but Aran hasn't deleted the tweet so far.

Fake. This video is from an earlier attack in 2018. pic.twitter.com/Lq7HaVfpiz

— tim anderson (@timand2037) 25 августа 2019 г.

Old video from 2018.

— WorldOnAlert (@worldonalert) 25 августа 2019 г.

FAKE VIDEO:
Footage on that video is from 2018

— AJSB (@A_J_S_B) 25 августа 2019 г.

Video of “tonights” explosion is false.https://t.co/yC9Z9Uwzw7

— Aurora Intel (@AuroraIntel) 24 августа 2019 г.

#UPDATE!! VIDEO IS NOT FROM TODAY!!

This is from a strike from 2018 or prior!

— The Up2Dater (@UptoDateNewz) 24 августа 2019 г.

The Israel Defence Forces tweeted on Saturday night that they had hit alleged "Iranian Quds Force operatives and Shiite militia targets" in Syria to prevent what they claimed was a "pending, large-scale attack of multiple killer drones" on Israel.

The claim was disputed by IRGC Maj. Gen. Mohsen Rezaei, who said that "Israel and the United States do not have the power to attack Iran's various centres, and our (military) advisory centres have not been harmed".

Israeli authorities previously acknowledged that the military had conducted hundreds of airstrikes against Syria over the past several years in order to counter what they claim was "Iran's entrenchment" in the region and its alleged military presence in the neighbouring Arab Republic. Tehran has repeatedly stated that it's only been sending advisers to Syria to help fight terrorist groups.