Foreign Affairs
FACT CHECK: Does This Photo Show Victims Of The Beirut Explosion Being Laid To Rest?
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An image shared on Facebook purportedly shows victims from the Aug. 4 Beirut explosion being laid to rest.
Verdict: False
The image shows a funeral procession for people killed during an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon in 2006.
Fact Check:
The Lebanese capital of Beirut was rocked by a massive explosion Aug. 4, killing over 170 people and injuring thousands of others, NBC News reported. The deadly blast has been linked to a cache of highly explosive ammonium nitrate stored at the port, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Facebook users shared a photo of men carrying coffins draped in Lebanese flags, claiming it shows victims from the deadly blast being laid to rest. “Heart wrenching moment,” reads the post’s caption. “The Beirut Blast victims were laid to rest today, but their yearning for justice can be seen in the eyes of every family member who they’ve left behind.”
The image, however, does not show a funeral procession for victims of the blast. Through a reverse image search, the Daily Caller News Foundation discovered that the photo dates back to 2006, roughly 14 years before the Beirut explosion.
“Lebanese civilians carry in Qana 18 August 2006 the coffins of their relatives wrapped in Lebanese flags during the funeral procession of those civilians killed in the Israeli air strikes on the southern Lebanese village of Qana,” reads the Getty Images caption. “The deadly strikes on Qana during the 33-day conflict triggered an international outcry against Israel’s offensive which killed more than 1,000 people, mostly civilians, and devastated much of the country’s infrastructure.”
The airstrikes took place during the 2006 war between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah, and the non-governmental organization Human Rights Watch estimated the airstrikes in Qana killed 28 civilians, including 16 children.
The website Getty Images shows photos from the funerals of some victims of the massive Beirut explosion.
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