Video shows fireworks display in Algeria, not Iran's attack on Israel

"Tonight, Israel becomes hell," read the Indonesian-language caption alongside a video on X on October 2, 2024.

The 15-second clip -- reshared more than 18,000 times -- shows red flares exploding across a skyline.

A sticker text on the clip reads "live israel" -- falsely indicating it shows footage of Iran's attack on Israel.

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Screenshot of false post from X, taken on October 3, 2024

The post circulated one day after Iran launched an attack against Israel on October 1, 2024, firing a barrage of missiles at the country in the latest escalation amid weeks of soaring violence and tensions in the region.

Tehran said the attack -- which took place as Israel said it was mounting a ground offensive against Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon -- was in response to the killings of Iran-backed militant leaders (archived link).

It was the second time Iran has directly attacked Israel, after a missile and drone attack in April in retaliation for a deadly Israeli air strike on the Iranian consulate in Damascus. 

However, the video circulating online predates the conflict and was not recorded in Israel.

It was shared in a similar false context on Facebook and TikTok, and also in English here, here and here. 

Algeria celebration

Through reverse image and keyword searches on Google, AFP found several videos resembling the clip (archived links here and here).

Text alongside one video says it shows football fans launching fireworks and flares in Algeria's capital Algiers after CR Belouizdad won the national football championship in 2020 (archived links here and here). 

AFP geolocated the video by identifying clues in the footage, including a grassy roundabout called Place Al Mokrani and a billboard with lighted edges, located on the side of a high-rise building.

Below is a screenshot comparison of Place Al Mokrani from the false post (left) and from Google Maps (right) with elements highlighted by AFP:

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Screenshot comparison of video from the false post (left) and from Google Maps taken October 3, 2024 (right) with elements highlighted by AFP

Below is another screenshot comparison of a billboard on a building in the video (left) and the same location on Google Maps (right) with elements highlighted by AFP:

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Screenshot comparison of a billboard from video in the false post (left) and from Google Maps taken October 3, 2024 (right) with elements highlighted by AFP

In 2023, AFP debunked posts sharing the same video shortly after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, which was triggered by the Iran-backed Palestinian group's October 7 attack.

Hamas's attack resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.

Of the 251 hostages seized by militants, 97 are still held in Gaza, including 33 the Israeli military says are dead.

Israel's retaliatory offensive in Gaza has killed at least 41,825 people, the majority of them civilians, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations has described the figures as reliable.

AFP has debunked other misinformation related to the conflict in the Middle East here and here.