Fact-check: Viral video does not show Israeli soldiers ambushed by Hezbollah fighters; clip is old
act-check traced viral video to May 2024 X post showing TTP ambush on Pakistan security forces. PHOTO: SCREEN GRAB
Multiple pro-Iranian users, based on their past posts, were sharing a video on social media platform X since May 17, 2026, allegedly showing Hezbollah fighters ambushing Israeli soldiers. However, the video is not recent and has been available online since at least September 2022.
Since the war with Israel began on March 2, 2026, more than 3,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, the country’s health ministry reported in its latest casualty toll on May 18, 2026. Reignited by the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel have rumbled on since US President Donald Trump first announced a ceasefire on April 16, 2026, with fighting mostly contained to southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military claims it struck more than 30 Hezbollah infrastructure targets in southern Lebanon, including a weapons warehouse, observation posts, and buildings used to advance attacks against Israeli forces.
How it started
On May 17, a pro-Iranian user, based on its username and past posts, shared a video on X showing a military vehicle carrying several soldiers being ambushed and fired upon.
The post was captioned: “Hezbollah ambushes Israeli soldiers.”
It gained 1.1 million views and was liked by 18,000 users.
Another pro-Iranian account based on its profile picture, username, and past posts, shared the same video on May 18 in a similar claim with the following caption: “Updates: Historic footage reportedly shows a carefully planned ambush carried out by Hezbollah fighters against an Israeli military vehicle in southern Lebanon. Reports claim more than 10 Israeli soldiers were killed in the attack.”
The post garnered 272,000 views.
Similarly, another pro-Iranian user, based on its past posts, shared the same video in a similar context with the following caption: “Hezbollah knocked out of commission nine Israeli soldiers who fell into an ambush today.”
The post attracted 675,000 views.
The post was further shared by several other pro-Iranian users on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here and here; collectively accumulating 58,000 views.
Methodology
A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the Middle East conflict.
A reverse image search, conducted to trace the source of the footage, yielded the same video shared by an X account on May 4, 2024. The post was captioned: “TTP (Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan) ambush on a Pakistan security forces vehicle.”
TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) ambush on a Pakistan security forces vehicle. pic.twitter.com/GG3zDq8SrH
As can be seen, the video predated the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, and was shared in the context of the Pakistan army being ambushed by the TTP.
The same video with a similar claim was also found to be shared on May 4, 2024, as can be seen here and here.
Furthermore, a keyword search using relevant keywords such as “TTP”, “Pakistan army” and “ambushed” yielded a fact-check published on May 7, 2024, regarding the same video that used a screenshot from it. The fact-check said that the clip had first appeared online on September 28, 2022, in the context of a TTP ambush on a Pakistan Army vehicle.
Tracing the video revealed that it was shared on social media platform Reddit, although the video was later deleted from the post. Examining archived versions of the post on Archive.md and the Wayback Machine showed that the video was captured but could not be accessed from either archive.
The original context of the video, or whether it was related to the Pakistan Army and TTP, could not be conclusively determined since it was not found on any credible outlet or source, and no credible mainstream media outlet reported any such ambush in September 2022.
However, it is clear that the video is not recent and not linked to the current hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
Fact-check status: false
The claim that a viral clip shows Hezbollah fighters ambushing an Israeli military vehicle carrying several soldiers is false.
The video is not recent and has been available online at least since September 2022.
This fact check was originally published by iVerify Pakistan — a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.