The right-wing media outlet Breitbart claimed that the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah may be preparing to use fentanyl-filled rockets against Israel.
Published on Friday, the article boldly asserted that Israel had begun preparations for potential attacks utilizing rockets filled with the synthetic opioid.
The claim is said to have originated from the Magen David Adom (MDA), an organization often referred to as Israel’s Red Cross. The MDA reportedly told staffers, according to Breitbart, that a mass-casualty event might be carried out “using opioids from the fentanyl class of compounds.”
Despite the MDA never mentioning rockets, Breitbart added that an unnamed source said that “a few rockets with chemical capabilities had been found in Gaza.”
But the article immediately received pushback given that, as outlined in a later update from Breitbart, “delivery of fentanyl as a chemical weapon would be highly unlikely via rocket…”
“Next you’ll tell us they’re filling the rockets with covid vaccines,” one user joked.
“Just mashing together different types of propaganda and hoping for the best,” another said.
A Community Notes banner was eventually placed on the tweet stating that “there is no known mechanism for distributing fentanyl via rocket that wouldn’t instantly vaporize/destroy it, as chemical weapons are dispersed via explosive.”
In an email to the Daily Dot, the State Department also dismissed concerns about the claim.
Breitbart held on to the overall claim in their updated article, despite retracting the rocket allegation, by adding that “there may be other ways to weaponize fentanyl.”
No public information at this moment has suggested any plans by either Hamas or Hezbollah to use fentanyl against Israel.
While a highly potent drug, false claims about fentanyl, including that people can overdose merely from touching it, have been pervasive.
