Israel ramps up media war, posts 'proof' of progress in Lebanon assault

The Israeli army has ramped up its media offensive amid its invasion of Lebanon, publishing videos and images purportedly showing Hezbollah hideouts and members captured in the country's south.

One video, which features Israeli army spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, has circulated on Arabic social media after being broadcast on Israeli television.

"The items are still here. The meat is still here, there is a Ninja air fryer here... A freezer. Everything here is ready for use," Hagari says in the video, while opening and closing a freezer in what he says was a Hezbollah hideout. "They lived here until a few days ago, until we arrived at this complex."

The footage shared online has drawn scepticism and ridicule, with observers highlighting that the claims echo earlier ones made in Gaza.

"Why is there no chicken?" wrote one social media user.

"Oh God! Amazing achievement!" said another.

Others highlighted previously debunked claims made by Hagari, including a video posted by the army spokesman in November at the Rantisi Children's Hospital in Gaza.

In the video, Hagari claimed to have uncovered an Arabic-language rota showing the names of guards who had watched over Israeli captives allegedly held at the hospital. Arabic speakers later pointed out that the piece of paper was a calendar listing the days of the week.

الجيش الإسرائيلي يعثر على ثلاجة و فرن لحزب الله اللبناني.

و عثرو على لحمة داخل الثلاجة pic.twitter.com/ZZwaI6nAJL

— Hanzala (@Hanzpal2) October 15, 2024

In a video shared by the Israeli army's official X account on Monday, aerial footage shows a neatly piled cache of weapons on a patch of grass, allegedly in the vicinity of a UNIFIL peacekeeping force base.

"You might be asking yourself the same question we are: How come Hezbollah is able to embed their weapons just a few meters away from a UNIFIL post?" read the caption accompanying the video.

In its invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces have shot at and injured UNIFIL peacekeepers and attempted to have the troops moved from their posts. The Israeli army has also stormed one UNIFIL base and fired tank rounds towards the international force.

In its wars on Gaza and Lebanon, Israel has often attacked UN staffers and institutions, alleging collusion between international bodies and Hamas or Hezbollah.

Elsewhere, the army has shared videos of alleged Hezbollah fighters being captured in southern Lebanon.

One image shared by the army's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee on Sunday showed a man stripped to his underwear and sitting on the ground. 

Social media users pointed out that bottles of water behind the alleged Hezbollah member appeared to have labels written in Hebrew, indicating that the photos may not have been taken in Lebanon.

It later emerged that the footage was taken in Gaza.

On Tuesday, Adraee shared a purported confession video from a captured Hezbollah member who identifies himself as Wadah Kamel Younis. 

In the video, Younis is seen being interrogated by the army, who ask him why members of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force allegedly fled an Israeli advance.

"A lack of faith," he says, explaining why the fighters ran.

"They were afraid of Israel, right?" says the interrogator.

"Of course," the detainee replies.

International rights groups consider sharing videos of prisoners of war to be in violation of international law. Alleged confessions made in such videos are also assumed to be made under duress.

Israel began its ground assault on Lebanon in late September, after a year of exchanging cross-border fire with Hezbollah.

At the same time, Tel Aviv has also ramped up airstrikes on the country, killing 2,309 people and wounding a further 10,782.