Are these videos from the new anti-regime protest movement currently taking place in Syria? No, that's not true: These images are of old protests in Syria. The claim appeared in several posts, such as this video (archived here) on TikTok on August 25, 2023, under the title "Aleppo Protests, Alhamdaniya" (translated from Arabic to English by Lead Stories staff). An…

Is Russia responsible for the July 26, 2023, coup in Niger, as a tactic to negotiate on its war in Ukraine with the United States and Europe? No, that's unconfirmed: Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, said on August 1, 2023, that Russia incited the junta to oust and detain Niger's President Mohamed Bazoum and his family,…

Did U.N. envoy to Iraq Jeanine Antoinette Plasschaert ask members of the United Nations Security Council to allow Saddam Hussein's political party to return to power in Iraq? No, that's not true: The Baath party led by former dictator Hussein was banned in 2003 following the U.S. invasion of Iraq, and there is no evidence to show the envoy challenged…

Did U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin promise to bring the banned Baath party back to power in Iraq? No, that's not true: The video from a press conference in the Iraqi Kurdistan region with Austin uses a fabricated Arabic-language translation to make the false claim. That is not what Austin said. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published…

Did the World Health Organization (WHO) issue an urgent statement calling for people to wear masks? No, that's not true. This statement is a fabrication. The story appeared in a video (archived here) where it was published by a TikTok account on August 20, 2023, under the title "#Urgent_happening now_Mask wearing_Globally Happening now." The post has an Arabic text and…

Did Germany legalize incest? No, that's not true. Germany has not legalized incest. According to section 173 of the German Criminal Code, sexual relation between siblings and between parents and their children is forbidden. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on TikTok by @maysaranews on August 22, 2023, under the title "Germany just passed the law." The…

Are members of the U.S. 10th Mountain Division on high alert upon deployment in the Iraqi capital Baghdad ahead of "deterrence operations," specifically against pro-Iranian Shiite Muslim militias, or to force a regime change in Iraq? No, that's not true. The U.S. Army said in a statement on July 14, 2023, that the 10th Mountain Division replaced the 37th Infantry…

Did U.S. Armed Forces recently conduct airstrikes targeting Iran-backed paramilitary forces in Iraq? No, that's not true. Posts circulating on social media use footage of old airstrikes in Iraq. The claim appeared in many posts such as this video (archived here) published on TikTok on August 20, 2023, under the title "Breaking: American Aerial Bombardment targeting the PMU forces near…

Did Ali al-Sistani die in London in 2004, and this photo is of his last moments? No, that's not true. Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has made many appearances in the media since 2004. The person in the photo is Mohammad Baqer Shirazi in a Tehran hospital, not Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) that was published…

Was the raging fire that incinerated the census-designated place (CDP) of Lahaina in Maui County, Hawaii, ignited by a laser beam from a satellite? No, that's not true. On August 21, 2023, The New York Times stated that the fire which resulted in the destruction of properties, including offices, residences, and vehicles, along with the evacuation of thousands and the…