Video From Arma 3 Peddled As Helicopters Shot Down In Israel-Hamas War

A video showing a ground weapon targeting helicopters and airplanes is viral online with the false claim that it shows helicopters being shot down during the Israel-Hamas conflict. BOOM found that the video predates the ongoing conflict and is a simulation created using Arma 3, a video game.

On October 7, Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that controls the Gaza strip in Israel launched an attack into the country that has since resulted in more than 4,000 lives being lost on both sides. US President Joe Biden is also set to visit Israel as tensions between Israel and Palestine escalate.

The almost 10-minute long viral video shows helicopters and airplanes being shot down. It is being shared on Facebook with the caption, "Palestine vs Israel video"

Click here to view the post. Click here, here, and here for similar posts.

FACT CHECK

BOOM found that the video has been made using a simulation game called Arma 3 and is unrelated to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.

We looked at the viral video closely and found a watermark with the text 'BELAL The gamer' at the bottom.

Taking a cue from this, we ran a search for this page and found it on Facebook. The About section of the page mentioned how it belonged to a 'Gaming video creator'

We scanned this page and found a video shared on August 7, 2023 that was an exact match to the viral video. The video was titled 'Advanced Missile Destroys Massive KA-52 Battle Helicopters - ARMA3' Arma 3 is a simulation video game developed by Czechoslovakia-based company Bohemia Interactive.

Here is a comparison between the viral video and the original video:

The account BELAL The Gamer regularly uploads clips from video games. See here and here.