By: Ankita Kulkarni
November 23 2023
Old video from Lebanon passed off as floods in Jericho, West Bank
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Screenshots of posts on social media claiming that it shows floods in Jericho. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)
Fact-Check
The Verdict False
The viral video dates back to June 2018 and was captured in Lebanon’s Ras Baalbek village, not West Bank.
Claim ID 6cbcd0ba
What is the claim?
Heavy rains in Gaza on November 15 raised new concerns for those displaced by the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and living in shelters and tents. Reuters reported that the rainy season in Gaza could lead to flooding and overcrowding, increasing the risk of diseases.
Following this, a video of water rushing through the buildings in a residential area is being shared on social media, claiming that it shows floods in Jericho, West Bank, amid the rainfall (see an archive here). The video is also circulating on Facebook with a similar narrative. Other archived versions of such posts can be viewed here, here, and here.
Screenshots of posts on social media claiming that it shows a flood in Jericho.
(Source: Facebook/X/Modified by Logically Facts)
However, the video dates back to June 2018, and Logically Facts has determined that the video was captured in Ras Baalbek village, Lebanon.
What did we find?
A reverse image search of the viral footage led us to a Facebook post containing the same video shared on June 13, 2018, posted by Syrian news outlet Al-Nabk. The post, in Arabic, was captioned: “Flood in Ras Baalbek (translated from Arabic).” Ras Baalbek is a village in the northern Beqaa Valley in Lebanon.
A report published by Israeli news outlet Ynet on June 14, 2018, included the same viral video and was captioned, “Stormy weather in Lebanon.” It also included other visuals from the floods in Lebanon.
A similar video was also posted on YouTube by the channel Miscelánea Noticias, titled, “River overflow floods baalbek, Lebanon - June 13, 2018.”
According to a report by Kuwait-based media outlet Al Rai Media dated June 15, 2018, floods were recorded in the towns of Ras Balbeek and Al-Qaa in June 2018 that caused havoc and severe damage.
By comparing the viral video to Google Maps images, we confirmed that the footage was captured in Ras Baalbek. The satellite image of the village on Google Maps showed us similar building structures and the trees surrounding those.
Images showing the comparison between the viral video and Google Maps. (Source: X/Google Maps/Screenshot)
There have been heavy rains that threaten to flood Gaza, as reported by international media, but there are no official reports of flooding in the West Bank. The viral video is not from Palestine at all.
The verdict
The viral video is five years old and was captured in Lebanon; it is unrelated to the West Bank. The video is miscaptioned and being shared with a false narrative. Therefore, we have marked the claim as false.