Fact Check: Viral Tel Aviv Protest And Stampede Video Misattributed To Netanyahu Originates From Iran
An old video of a protest in Iran is being falsely presented as a protest against Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. This video has been circulating on the internet since January 28, 2026, whereas the war began on February 28, 2026.
- By: Sharad Prakash Asthana
- Published: Mar 19, 2026 at 04:26 PM
- Updated: Mar 20, 2026 at 08:51 AM
New Delhi (Vishvas News): As geopolitical tensions escalate between the US, Israel, and Iran, a dramatic video showing a chaotic street protest and injured individuals is circulating widely. Social media users, and even some mainstream outlets like Times Now, claim the footage depicts a massive civil uprising in Tel Aviv against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Vishvas News’ investigation revealed that the viral video is unrelated to Israel. The footage originated in Iran and was online as early as January 28, 2026, a month before the current conflict began on February 28, 2026.
What is the Viral Post?
On March 15, 2026, Instagram user ‘thelivetvnews’ posted the viral video (archive link) with the caption: “Israelis’ anger erupts against Netanyahu! Civil war begins in Israel!” The post states that these protests are taking place in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv. This post has garnered over 7.6 lakh views.
Similar claims were also echoed by the Facebook pages of ‘Times Now’ and ‘Bharat Khabar’.
Investigation
To investigate the viral video, we conducted a Google Lens search using the keyframes. The trail led to several sources documenting unrest in Iran earlier this year. On January 30, 2026, the organisation Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) posted the same footage on its X account. They identified it as security forces firing on civilians in Mashhad, Iran, during a nationwide internet shutdown that began on January 8, 2026.
On January 29, 2026, X user ‘Savakzadeh’ posted this video, identifying it as footage of protests in Mashhad, Iran, on January 8, 2026.
The video contains a watermark for the Instagram handle ‘reza_shah_tous’. On January 28, this account posted the clip, describing gunfire directed at civilians in front of a state broadcasting building in Mashhad.
According to a report published on Iran International’s website on January 9, 2026: “Data released by the Norway-based Iran Human Rights organisation indicates that approximately 51 protesters have been killed during a new wave of nationwide unrest sweeping across Iran. Authorities have completely shut down internet access. The organisation confirmed that these fatalities occurred during 13 days of anti-government protests. These demonstrations began on December 28, 2025 at Tehran’s Grand Bazaar, sparked by economic grievances, and rapidly spread across the entire country.”
This conclusively establishes that the viral video predates the outbreak of the ongoing conflict between the US., Israel, and Iran, and that it is indeed footage from Iran. Subsequently, we conducted a Google search using relevant keywords regarding protests in Israel. A video posted on the Instagram handle of ‘Al Jazeera English’ included the caption: “A small anti-war protest took place in Tel Aviv, criticising Israel’s attacks on Iran.”
Vishvas News contacted Israeli fact-checker Uriya Bar-Meir, who reviewed the clip and confirmed: “The video is not from Israel. No such incident has occurred here. While small anti-war protests have happened, this footage does not depict them.”
What is the context?
According to a report published on the Reuters website on March 17, 2026: “The ongoing conflict between Iran and the US-Israel alliance is now in its third week. At least two people have been killed in the fighting. On March 17, 2026, Iran launched fresh attacks on the United Arab Emirates. Iran also fired missiles at Israel throughout the night. Meanwhile, the Israeli military stated that it is targeting the ‘infrastructure of the Iranian regime’ with a new wave of attacks in Tehran. It is also targeting Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut.”
The Instagram user who shared the video falsely claiming it depicted Israel, while it was actually from Iran, has approximately 1.78 lakh followers.
Conclusion: An old video of a protest in Iran is being falsely presented as a protest against Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel. This video has been circulating on the internet since January 28, 2026, whereas the war began on February 28, 2026.
- Claim Review : The people of Israel staged protests against Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Claimed By : Instagram user ‘thelivetvnews’
- Fact Check : False
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