Old video shared as U.S. military equipment being sent to Israel

What's the claim? 

On October 7, the Palestinian militant group Hamas launched a multi-faceted assault on Israeli-held territory. In retaliation for the attack, Israel carried out airstrikes in Gaza, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared that Israel is now at war with Hamas. Following this, numerous misattributed videos are circulating widely on social media. 

One video shared on X (archived here) by an account named Matt Wallace, known for spreading misinformation, shows a U.S. aircraft taking off from the runway. The video caption states, "US MILITARY SENDING HUGE PLANES FULL OF HEAVY-DUTY EQUIPMENT TO ISREAL. A plane carrying advanced armaments "designed to facilitate significant military operations" has arrived At the Nevatim Airbase in southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces said."

Other users with similar claims have also shared this video on X. Archived versions can be found here and here. 

Screenshots of posts circulating online. (Source: X/Facebook/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the video is from California, shot in 2019, and is unrelated to the current wave of violence between Israel and Hamas. 

What are the facts?

The viral video comprises four pieces of footage of the aircraft edited together. Two of the aircraft in the video show different numbers. Notably, the videos used in the posts appear to be flipped, as the text and numbers on the aircraft are backward and mirrored. 

We looked into the origins of the clips used in the video. We located the first clip, which shows an aircraft moving towards the runway with several other helicopters parked around it, on the YouTube channel "Gung Ho Vids," uploaded on October 5, 2019. The video's description reads, "A U.S. Air Force C-5M Super Galaxy transport plane takes off from Marine Corps Air Station Camp Pendleton, California on October 4, 2019." The video was a "U.S. Marine Corps Video by Lance Cpl. Andrew Cortez, Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton,"according to the description. From the timestamp 0:06 to 0:31 mark, we can see the same footage and the aircraft number "7030," as seen in the now-viral video.

Comparison between the viral clip and the 2019 video. (Source: X/YouTube/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

In this video, from 00:46 to 1:09, the aircraft is seen taking off, the same footage as the fourth video clip used in the now-viral video. On comparing the viral clip with the original videos, we can see that the visuals have been flipped, which is evident by the text and numbers on the aircraft. 

The second visual in the viral video, showing the nose of an aircraft, can be found in another YouTube video uploaded by the channel Future Machine Tech on May 4, 2023. The caption states, "Powered Vertical Takeoff with a Payload of 120 Metric Tons: C-5M Super Galaxy." At 4:43, we can see the same clip from the viral video. The airplane number shows "7045." The third visual can also be identified in the same video at the timestamp of 5:18. Here, too, we can note that the footage from the viral video is a flipped version of this video. 

Comparison between the viral clip and the original video.(Source: X/YouTube/Screenshot/Modified by Logically Facts)

According to AP News, on October 9, 2023, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered aircraft carriers to be moved to the Eastern Mediterranean to be ready to assist Israel after the recent conflict. However, the viral video shows the U.S. transport aircraft C-5M Super Galaxy taking off from California in 2019 and is unrelated to the current Israel-Hamas conflict. 

The verdict
An old and unrelated video from 2019 is being shared with an incorrect claim that it shows the U.S. military equipment being sent to Israel. Although the U.S. has ordered some equipment sent to Israel to aid its fight against Hamas, the viral video does not show this. Therefore, we have marked the claim as misleading.