Claim: Social media users have shared videos suggesting thousands of people are fleeing the Israel-Iran conflict on a hillside route.
Verdict: False! The video being shared by social media users in Ghana and Nigeria is unrelated to the Israel-Iran war and was taken in Nepal.
Full Text
Social media users claim that a viral video of people running on a hillside is of Israelis fleeing the Israel-Iran conflict.
The viral video is shared on X, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok, as can be seen here, here, here, and here. The videos claim people from Israel are fleeing the Israel-Iran conflict. Other posts also claim they are Iranians leaving Iran as a result of the conflict.
The claim, shared by several social media users in Ghana and Nigeria here, here, here, here, and here, has the potential to mislead Ghanaians and Nigerians on social media. As a result, DUBAWA decided to verify it.
As can be seen in this post, some comments suggest that they believe the narrative that Israelis are fleeing the conflict.
Another post on TikTok under the account name Mazi Ezinna also claimed that Israelis are leaving Israel because of the conflict. When this report was filed, the post had 7357 reactions, 894 comments, and 2572 shares.
The video was posted with commentary by a man whose face looks the same as the owner of the TikTok account, as reproduced below:
African Christians, are you seeing the Israelites inside the bush? People who came from the promised land, are you seeing where they are? This is to help you understand that what controls this earth is reality. Because when reality hits you, you know that all this noise you have been making all these years, with Bible, shouting holy ghost fire, any weapon falling against my family, any weapon falling against my business, I come against you, oh God of Israel, you are just wasting your time. Look at how Iran has pursued all the Israelites who enter the bush. If it were the old days, when social media was not available, they would have used this thing that is happening to deceive Africa. It is high time you understood that reality is the key. When it faces you, whether you are a Muslim or a Pagan, reality doesn’t pity anybody. The better you understand that your government is your problem, the better for you.
The comments under the post show that most people believe in the claim.
A section of the comments can be found in the screenshots below.
The Israel-Iran conflict started on Friday, June 13, 2025, when Israel struck Iran’s nuclear sites and killed a number of its top officials and scientists. The conflict has since escalated with both sides launching retaliatory attacks.
Verification
DUBAWA conducted a Google reverse image search using screenshots from the viral video, and several related images emerged. The Google reverse image search revealed that the viral video was first posted online on May 29, 2025, two weeks before the start of the Israel-Iran conflict.
An individual made the TikTok post under the account name Nedo Yatri Soch. According to the post, which garnered 584.2k reactions, 21.3k comments, and 56.6k shares on TikTok at the time of filing this report, the video was taken at the Rup Partan Dolpa District of Nepal.
Nedo Yatri Soch’s TikTok account shows similar videos captioned “Caterpillar funguSeason”. The videos show people harvesting caterpillar fungus, which is known for its medicinal value and is mainly found in the Tibetan Plateau and the Himalayas.
Tech4Peace, an independent fact-checking platform, had earlier fact-checked this video when it was claimed that the video shows Iranians displaced to Iraq.
Conclusion
The viral video being shared on social media does not show Israelis or Iranians fleeing the conflict. The video was first posted on TikTok on May 29, 2025, two weeks before the Israel-Iran conflict started. The claim is, therefore, false.