Fact Check: Did US military pilots refuse to fly planes loaded with weapons to Israel?
WASHINGTON, DC: The recent US attack on Iran, launched as part of Operation Epic Fury on February 28, marked the start of a major joint US-Israeli military campaign with surprise airstrikes and missile barrages targeting Iranian nuclear facilities, and including the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Recently, a clip went viral on social media claiming to show that the US military pilots refuse to fly planes loaded with weapons to Israel. But is there any truth to this? Let us find out below.
Claim: US military pilots refuse to fly planes loaded with weapons to Israel
On March 11, a clip went viral on X with the claim, "Members of the US Armed Forces refuse to fly planes loaded with weapons to Israel. They are then summoned to the Pentagon forcibly arrested and handcuffed. Watch this video before it is removed from the internet and share it as much as possible."
The viral clip was posted by X account @lran_prees and garnered more than a million views, and more than 24,000 X users liked the post. The viral video showed two US Army veterans being removed and arrested.
🚨BREAKING
— Iran Mil Updates (@lran_prees) March 11, 2026
Members of the US Armed Forces refuse to fly planes loaded with weapons to Israel. They are then summoned to the Pentagon forcibly arrested and handcuffed. Watch this video before it is removed from the internet and share it as much as possible. pic.twitter.com/SrbMOjvvyG
The US-Israel initial strikes on Iran caused significant military degradation but also drew widespread criticism for civilian casualties, including a widely reported missile strike on or near an elementary school in Minab that killed over 150 people.
As of mid-March 2026, the conflict has escalated into ongoing exchanges, with US forces continuing intense strikes, while Iran retaliates with missile and drone barrages on US bases, Israel, and Gulf allies, attempts to blockade the Strait of Hormuz, and has vowed prolonged resistance under new Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei.
Fact Check: False, viral clip is from a 2025 Senate hearing
The claims made in the viral X post are false, as the clip shared is from a 2025 Senate hearing and not from any recent incident.
The viral clip does not show active-duty US military pilots being arrested at the Pentagon for refusing weapons transport orders, but depicts two Army veterans being removed and arrested for disrupting a US Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing last September.
The individuals in the video are former intelligence officer Captain Josephine Guilbeau and retired Lt. Col. Anthony Aguilar.
Moreover, there are no credible reports from the Pentagon, the US military, or major news outlets of any pilots refusing to transport weapons to Israel or being arrested for it. If it were true, such an event would have been a major international news story.
