Pages and accounts on social media platforms circulated a video showing an attack on a small truck, with those who posted it claiming that it documents the abduction of a child by members affiliated with the Syrian government, with the aim of trafficking his organs in Syria.
Still frames from the video and a reverse-image search showed that the circulating clip is old and dates back to an incident that took place in the Al-Qanawis district of Hodeidah governorate in western Yemen, which is under the control of the Houthi group. The story dates to 18 January 2024, when an armed gang abducted a child and assaulted his family amid a state of lawlessness in the area, which means the clip has nothing to do with Syria or any military factions there.
Why is this claim misleading?
Out of temporal and geographic context: The video was taken out of context from an assault and abduction incident that occurred in Yemen’s Hodeidah governorate in early 2024, and was falsely attributed to events in Syria to spark panic and level political and military accusations.
