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Our only agenda is to publish the truth so you can be an informed participant in democracy. We need your help. More Info ### I would like to contribute One Time Monthly Yearly Join Now ![](\\" ![](\\" TikTok posts stated on October 10, 2023 in a TikTok post: “Thousands of U.S. troops make their way to Israel” in video. ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") * Israel * Military * Facebook Fact-checks * TikTok posts ![\\"Ciara](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke October 18, 2023 # Old footage mischaracterized as showing U.S. troops deployed to Israel #### If Your Time is short * This footage predates the current conflict between Israel and Hamas. Some of the video clips were taken in Djibouti, which is more than 1,400 miles from Israel, in 2018. See the sources for this fact-check U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered troops to prepare to deploy to the Middle East to support Israel, though likely not in combat roles, The New York Times recently reported. But an Oct. 10 TikTok post claiming to show \"thousands of US troops deployed to Israel\" does not reflect this. Tickers above and below the TikTok video say \"Breaking news,\" and text says \"thousands of US troops make their way to Israel.\" Some of the footage, however, is more than 5 years old, and from Africa — not the Middle East. #### Featured Fact-check ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on September 18, 2024 in an X post Photo shows a toilet after “some Hezbollah operative blew up.” ![\\"true\\"](\\" false/33efdb6633e5e2fdc2d4e2f63383a1e0.jpg.\\") ![\\"false\\"](\\" false.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 TikTok identified this video as part of its efforts to counter inauthentic, misleading or false content. (Read more about PolitiFact\'s partnership with TikTok.) Several clips come from the Defense Department and appear on the Getty Images’ website. They show U.S. soldiers participating in an emergency deployment readiness exercise in Djibouti, which is more than 1,400 miles from Israel, in March 2018. Another clip has been online since at least July. Someone in that video can be heard saying, \"Welcome to Poland.\" We rate claims this footage shows soldiers deployed to the Middle East False. #### Read About Our Process The Principles of the Truth-O-Meter ### Our Sources TikTok post, Oct. 10, 2023 YouTube, US Troops and Military Vehicles Arrive in Poland & immediately deploy to Ukraine - 4K, July 26, 2023 Getty Images, Troops loading kit for emergency response east africa, March 16, 2018 Getty Images, Troops preparing emergency repsonse exercise, March 16, 2018 Getty Images, Armed soldiers walking across airstrip, March 16, 2018 Insider, The history of the US Army\'s uniforms since 1776, in images and depictions, Oct. 27, 2018 The New York Times, Pentagon Orders 2,000 More U.S. Troops to Be Ready to Deploy to the Middle East, Oct. 17, 2023 ## Browse the Truth-O-Meter ### More by Ciara O\'Rourke slide 4 to 6 of 15 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 23, 2024 in an Instagram post: Video shows Vice President Kamala Harris “hammered.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on September 21, 2024 in an X post: Video shows Vice President Kamala Harris using a teleprompter. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on September 18, 2024 in an X post: Photo shows a toilet after “some Hezbollah operative blew up.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 29, 2024 in an Instagram post: “Video shows Kamala (Harris) responding to someone talking through her earrings that she allegedly wore during the Trump vs. Harris debate.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 30, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 18, 2024 in a Threads post: Melania Trump “was an escort.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Serena Williams reportedly passes away following tragic car crash in Texas.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 25, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Elon Musk silences Taylor Swift: Shocking ban wipes out 1 million followers and costs her a staggering $72 million!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/322c808c00e73c217d17772ddd5a0eb5.jpg\\") ![](\\" Instagram_logo_2016.svg/8b142c91ebe468a84a192e6df2b7b994.jpg\\") Instagram posts stated on September 23, 2024 in an Instagram post: Haitians are responsible for the disappearance of 16 cats in Bangor, Maine. ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 15, 2024 in a Facebook post: Photos show a toddler “saved” by Deputy Tyler Cooper. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 24, 2024 in a Threads post: Says Donald Trump said, “Women are miserable — not sexy, not safe.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 21, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Taylor Swift faces a 10-game NFL ban following controversial political involvement.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Facebook post: Photo shows missing couple Raymond Peterson and his wife, Sophie. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 26, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 20, 2024 in a Threads post: “Oprah is a sex trafficker. She’s been caught and now has to be escorted around” by U.S. marshals ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Threads post: Says John Fetterman said he’s “voting for Trump.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 22, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Taylor Swift’s concert attendance drops after Harris endorsement: ‘No Fans, just empty seats and echoes.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 25, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 23, 2024 in an Instagram post: Video shows Vice President Kamala Harris “hammered.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on September 21, 2024 in an X post: Video shows Vice President Kamala Harris using a teleprompter. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" black/4590875651af69b2c789ceab409664dd.jpg\\") ![](\\" black/72988380e8c8bd188dc360d11552e4a0.jpg\\") X posts stated on September 18, 2024 in an X post: Photo shows a toilet after “some Hezbollah operative blew up.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 24, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 29, 2024 in an Instagram post: “Video shows Kamala (Harris) responding to someone talking through her earrings that she allegedly wore during the Trump vs. Harris debate.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 30, 2024 ![](\\" logo-black-01/b6cedac93f6e57c68ecc025e5ec29d57.jpg\\") ![](\\" logo-black-01/438dbf066033f99de07598cbcc77ddcb.jpg\\") Threads posts stated on September 18, 2024 in a Threads post: Melania Trump “was an escort.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 23, 2024 in a Facebook post: “Serena Williams reportedly passes away following tragic car crash in Texas.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 27, 2024 ### Old footage mischaracterized as showing U.S. troops deployed to Israel * ![](\\" ![](\\" House Majority PAC stated on September 9, 2024 in a television ad: Laurie Buckhout is “trying to get to Congress to pass a national abortion ban, allowing politicians to ban abortions with no exceptions and prosecute women if they get an abortion, treating women right here like criminals.” ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Paul Specht • October 1, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump Jr. stated on September 9, 2024 in a post: “Less than three months ago, Kamala Harris and her administration blocked 300,000 unvetted Haitian migrants from being deported out of our country.\" ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Kwasi Gyamfi Asiedu • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" X posts stated on September 30, 2024 in an X post: Photo shows President Joe Biden lounging on the beach \"while towns all over America were being wiped out” by Hurricane Helene. ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Samantha Putterman • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Social Media stated on September 30, 2024 in in social media posts: “Biden Announces: ‘2.4 billion more to Ukraine’ but ‘no more aid for Hurricane Helene.’” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Jeff Cercone • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Facebook posts stated on September 24, 2024 in a post: “Olympic boxer Imane Khelif fails gender test, stripped of all titles, lifetime ban and $25 million prize money revoked!” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Grace Abels • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Donald Trump stated on September 30, 2024 in a press conference in Georgia: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was calling President Joe Biden after Hurricane Helene but \"hasn\'t been able to get him.” ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Caleb McCullough • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Viral image stated on September 29, 2024 in an Instagram post: “Video shows Kamala (Harris) responding to someone talking through her earrings that she allegedly wore during the Trump vs. Harris debate.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Ciara O\'Rourke • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Elissa Slotkin stated on September 30, 2024 in a Meta ad: U.S. Senate candidate Mike Rogers “believes he should make that decision” about whether to end pregnancies. ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"barely-true\\"](\\" barely-true.jpg\\") By Caleb McCullough • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Tim Sheehy stated on September 27, 2024 in an ad: U.S. Sen. Jon Tester “voted to give taxpayer-funded health care to illegal immigrants.\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" ![\\"false\\"](\\" By Louis Jacobson • September 30, 2024 * ![](\\" ![](\\" Instagram posts stated on September 26, 2024 in an Instagram post: “Kamala involved in P-Diddy’s rapes and assaults.” ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" th.jpg\\") ![\\"pants-fire\\"](\\" pants-fire.jpg\\") By Sofia Ahmed • September 30, 2024 Load more ### Support independent fact-checking. Become a member! In a world of wild talk and fake news, help us stand up for the facts. 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Thousands of US troops make their way to Israel in video