Earlier this week, a claim was made on social media suggesting that an Israeli flag was displayed on the exterior of the Las Vegas Sphere, a facility designed for immersive shows, concerts, and various events in Las Vegas, Nevada. The claim went viral the day after Hamas made a surprise attack on Israel on Saturday.
Since then, the photo has been widely circulated on social media with many believing that the flag was indeed displayed outside the Las Vegas Sphere during the ongoing conflict. However, the claim is completely fake and The Sphere Entertainment Co. issued a public statement refuting the claims.
Weird Claim
On October 10, 2023, three days after the war broke, a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), stated, "The Vegas Sphere showing impressive support with Israel." The post also included a video that claimed to show the Israeli flag on the outside of the Sphere."
The claim soon spread like wildfire and was widely circulated on other social media platforms, like Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok.
However, the claim was completely false. A search on Google News for "Vegas Sphere Israeli flag" (archived here) did not yield any results to substantiate the claim. Typically, if such a display had taken place, it would have garnered extensive news coverage.
In response to the X post containing the video, an official post from the Las Vegas Sphere's verified X account was found. Las Vegas Sphere also refuted the claims by replying, ""This image was photoshopped. Please reach us with any questions about Sphere."
In Fact, the eight-second video clip was edited to show an enlarged circular, rotating dome featuring an image of the Israeli flag.
Completely False
In the replies to the X post promoting the video, it was observed that another account on the platform was tagged as the actual creator of the video. Upon going through that account, a pinned post at the top of that account clarified that the person had created a video effects (VFX) video featuring an Israeli flag on "a ball."
The post explained that the purpose behind creating this content was to "create NOISE and be heard." This revelation indicates that the video was a result of visual effects and not an actual display on the Las Vegas Sphere.
The post attributed to the account was also shared on various social media platforms, including Facebook, by PerezHilton.com. The video was posted on their Facebook account and was attributed to the same account that created the VFX video.
However, it's important to note that the Facebook post did not state that the video was fake, which may have contributed to the initial spread of the claim.
So, the claim is completely fake and the person who posted it wanted to sensationalize the issue.
