Video of Russian Wagner unit reposted as ambush against elite Israeli forces in Yemen

A video clip has spread on social media, showing the bodies of a group of people lying on the ground, with the claim that they are soldiers of the Israeli occupation army, with the following text: “70 elite Israeli forces and American Blackwater tried to enter Yemen, an ambush set up for them killed them all”.

Kashif verified the video via the “INVID” tool and found that the video is old and the claim is misleading. It was published by the “ MAKS 24 ” account on “X” on 27 July 2024 and stated that it “shows the losses of the former “Wagner Group” mercenaries in Mali”.

Kashif’s team was able to access a group of video clips published by the “TOGA” account on “X” on 27 July 2024, stating that they were filmed in Mali, where local fighters repelled a major attack launched by the Russian “Wagner” forces, which led to the destruction of several armored vehicles and the downing of a helicopter, according to his description. Kashif compared the place and the people appearing in the videos published by the “TOGA” account and the circulated video clip and found a match. 

According to Russian media , a joint group of Malian military units and elements of the Russian Wagner unit were ambushed by Tuareg groups in the desert of northern Mali, near the Algerian border. Violent clashes erupted, resulting in the deaths of a large number of Wagner members and Malian government forces, while Tuareg forces were able to capture some of them. 

Kashif’s team also examined the circulated video clip and found that the dialect spoken by the people is not Yemeni, during their conversation they mention the words “Wagner,” “Russia,” and “Mali,” which negates the authenticity of the video, which is attributed to Yemen. 

Former Pentagon advisor Douglas MacGregor said in an interview dated 8 August 2024 that according to open and unofficial sources, “70 Israeli and American special forces fighters, and I do not know how many of them are Israeli or American, but the situation is that the majority are Israelis, infiltrated Yemen in a special operation, but it seems that Russian satellites saw them and informed the Iranians, who in turn informed the Houthis and eliminated them.”