Image of Iranian weapons trucks has been miscaptioned

Multiple Facebook posts from earlier this month falsely claimed that an image of military trucks loaded with missiles shows Iran moving weapons from Iraq to Syria, with one post incorrectly suggesting this was in preparation for an attack against Israel.

Since the current Israel-Gaza conflict began in October 2023, tensions between Israel and Iran have risen, allegedly leading to an Israeli airstrike on the Iranian embassy compound in Damascus, Syria, on 1 April which killed two Iranian generals and five military advisers.

In response, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles against Israel on 13 April. Reports suggest that the majority of the weapons were intercepted and there were no Israeli fatalities. 

While it is true that the image depicts Iranian vehicles and weapons, it does not show them crossing from Iraq into Syria, and it is false to suggest that this demonstrates Iran preparing to attack Israel. 

A reverse image search shows that the photograph of the trucks carrying the missiles was taken at the 2019 annual Army Day celebrations in Iran and therefore predates the current conflict in the region. 

The picture is credited to photographer Abedin Taherkenareh who, according to the European Pressphoto Agency’s website, took it on 18 April 2019 in Tehran. 

We often see misleading images and videos on social media in the wake of significant global events and conflicts, including fake subtitles, altered official documents and misleading videos. It’s always worth considering whether a post actually depicts what it claims to show before sharing it online. Our guides on spotting misleading images and videos can help you to do this. 

Image courtesy of Mostafa Meraji