Old Israel fire clip falsely shared as Iran strike aftermath
- Published on March 2, 2026 at 10:21
- 2 min read
- By AFP Middle East & North Africa
- Translation and adaptation AFP Malaysia
Iranian forces fired missiles at Israel following the massive Israel-US attack on the Islamic republic that killed its supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, but a clip circulating online does not show the aftermath of Iran's attack. The video dates back to a 2024 post about a massive fire that engulfed a building in Tel Aviv.
"TEL AVIV ON FIRE," reads the Malay-language caption of the video published on Facebook on February 28, 2026.
"A scene of a massive fire at a building in Tel Aviv. According to circulating reports, the building was an arms warehouse."
The video, filmed from a balcony, shows firefighters attempting to extinguish a fire from a building.
The post surfaced after the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Khamenei (archived link).
Iranian forces retaliated by firing missiles and drones across the Middle East, claiming lives in Israel and the United Arab Emirates.
US President Donald Trump vowed to avenge the first US deaths, telling the New York Times that the United States and Israel could keep up the same level of attacks for four to five weeks.
The war has subsequently spread across the region, with Israel bombarding targets across Lebanon.
The same video spread elsewhere on Facebook but it is old and unrelated to the recent strikes.
A reverse image search using keyframes from the falsely shared clip led to a video posted on X on October 26, 2024 showing the same blaze (archived link).
"Massive fire in a building in Tel Aviv, 7 fire teams are working to extinguish the fire. The cause of fire is unknown," reads the caption.
The Jerusalem Post newspaper reported the fire the same day, saying it occurred in a residential building on Corkidi Street in Tel Aviv (archived link).
An Instagram user also uploaded footage of the same fire filmed from another angle (archived link).
More of our reporting on misinformation surrounding the conflict in the Middle East can be found here.
Copyright © AFP 2017-2026. Any commercial use of this content requires a subscription. Click here to find out more.
Is there content that you would like AFP to fact-check? Get in touch.
Contact us
