Viral claim says US-Israel Mars bases exist

An X post circulating on May 20, 2026 claimed former Israeli official Haim Eshed had revealed joint U.S.-Israeli bases on Mars and contact with extraterrestrials. The allegation is not new. It traces to interviews and coverage from December 2020, when Eshed, a former head of Israel’s Defense Ministry space directorate, said humans had been in contact with a “galactic federation” and described a secret Mars facility. No public evidence accompanied the viral post. The account cited Eshed and linked the story to the U.S. Space Force, but did not produce documents, official statements or records showing that the United States or Israel operates a base on Mars. ### Where did the Mars-base claim actually come from? (nbcnews.com) Haim Eshed’s comments were reported in December 2020 after an interview with the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot and follow-up English-language coverage. NBC News reported on Dec. 8, 2020 that Eshed said cooperation agreements had been signed with extraterrestrials, including an “underground base in the depths of Mars” with American astronauts and alien representatives. (nbcnews.com) The Jerusalem Post reported the same month that Eshed said Israel and the United States had been dealing with aliens for years and that the cooperation included a secret underground base on Mars. That report tied the remarks to Eshed’s then-new book, “The Universe Beyond the Horizon.” ### Did any government agency confirm what Eshed said? (nbcnews.com) NASA did not confirm Eshed’s account. NBC News reported at the time that a NASA spokesperson said the agency’s goal was to search for life in the universe, but that it had not found signs of extraterrestrial life. (jpost.com) The Pentagon also did not validate the claim. NBC reported that Pentagon spokesperson Sue Gough declined to comment on Eshed’s remarks when asked in 2020. ### Does the U.S. Space Force have anything to do with a Mars base? The U.S. Space Force’s official public materials describe a military service focused on protecting U.S. interests in space and list commands, locations and careers on Earth. (nbcnews.com) The service’s official website does not disclose any Mars installation, joint Mars base or program involving extraterrestrial contact. The viral thread’s reference to Space Force appears to echo a line in 2020 coverage noting that Eshed’s claims surfaced after President Donald Trump created the Space Force. That was presented in news reports as context around Eshed’s remarks, not as evidence that Space Force runs a base on Mars. (spaceforce.mil) ### Was Eshed’s claim ever independently verified? Snopes reported in December 2020 that translated excerpts from Eshed’s interview had gone viral and said the claims should be treated skeptically. Its report noted that the remarks came during promotion for Eshed’s book and cited former British Ministry of Defence UFO investigator Nick Pope saying the episode could be a publicity stunt, mistranslation or a genuine disclosure. (jpost.com) No documentary proof has surfaced in the public record cited here. The available reporting shows a retired Israeli official made the claim in 2020, and mainstream outlets covered what he said, but neither U.S. nor Israeli authorities publicly substantiated the existence of a U.S.-Israel base on Mars. (snopes.com) ### What is the cleanest way to describe the claim now? The most accurate description is that a May 20, 2026 social-media post recycled a December 2020 allegation by Haim Eshed. The claim rests on Eshed’s interview and related book promotion, while official U.S. public sources continue to show no evidence of a Mars base or confirmed extraterrestrial contact. (nbcnews.com)