Fact Check: Did Benjamin Netanyahu Run Into A Bunker During Iran’s Missile Attack?

Following Iran’s massive rocket attack on Israel Tuesday night, video clips circulating on social media showed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu allegedly running for cover inside a bunker. As Iran’s missiles, some of which were hypersonic, entered Israeli airspace, sirens were sounded across the country, prompting thousands to seek safety.

Pro-Iranian social media handles shared a video clip that allegedly showed Benjamin Netanyahu running across the hallways of an alleged bunker. “Moments in which the Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, flees to a bunker in the face of the Iranian response,” claimed one post. 

“Someone please give Benjamin Netanyahu a place to hide. The poor guy is not even running away. After all, he saved his life by hiding in a bunker. He ran away and hid, leaving his countrymen to fend for themselves,” claimed another. 

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However, the purported video is at least three years old, a fact corroborated by posts on Facebook that shared the same video in 2021. The original video allegedly shows Benjamin Netanyahu rushing through the corridors of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. 

Original video:

Screengrab of 2021 post:

Netanyahu termed Iran’s missile attack “a big mistake” and vowed to make Tehran “pay for it”. 

“Iran made a big mistake tonight and will pay for it,” he said. “Whoever attacks us, we attack them.”

The missile salvo is the second direct attack by Iran on Israel this year, following a similar offensive in April, which was quickly subdued by Israeli and allied defences. Tuesday’s strikes, according to Iranian officials, were in retaliation for the recent killing of senior Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Israeli military operations.

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Guy Nir, spokesperson of the Israeli embassy in India, speaking exclusively to NDTV, said an appropriate response will be given to Tehran. “If he (Ayatollah Ali Khamenei) plans to initiate a full-scale war with Israel, it will be a mistake for them (Iran),” Mr Nir told NDTV. “Israel’s response is going to be something strategic and pin-pointed, and not a full-scale war. I don’t think any side wants that.”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed that 90 per cent of its missiles successfully hit their targets, despite Israel’s advanced defence systems.