Argentinian industrial park explosion misrepresented as Iranian attack on Israel
- Published on March 26, 2026 at 11:56
- 2 min read
- By Bozhidar ANGUELOFF, AFP Bulgaria
- Translation and adaptation Akshita KUMARI, AFP India
Iran has targeted Israeli cities with retaliatory strikes since a joint attack on the Islamic republic by the United States and Israel on February 28, but video purportedly showing the impact of an Iranian missile circulating on social media in fact shows an explosion in Argentina. The footage previously circulated in posts and news reports from November 2025 about a fire and explosion in an industrial park.
"Breaking. Iran attacked Israel using CCTV intelligence. Mossad headquarters, military camps, oil tankers, and bunkers used for important meetings were targeted," reads part of the Hindi-language Facebook post shared on March 20, 2026.
The attached video shows a fire in the distance that erupts into a fireball, forcing onlookers to run away.
The video was also shared in similar Facebook, Instagram, Threads and X posts.
It circulated as Iran responded to the joint US-Israel attack that killed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei on February 28 (archived link).
Tehran's retaliatory attacks across the Gulf region have virtually halted transit through the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, sending global oil prices spiralling.
Israeli cities, including Tel Aviv, Yehud, Givataim, Bat Yam, and Beit Shemesh have come under Iranian missile fire (archived here, here, here, here and here).
The video being shared on social media, however, was filmed in Argentina in November 2025.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video found the same footage shared in a Facebook post on November 15, 2025 (archived link).
The Portuguese-language post says it shows a huge explosion in Ezeiza -- a municipality about 40 kilometres (24.8 miles) from the Argentine capital Buenos Aires.
According to an AFP report, the fire on November 14, 2025 was ignited by powerful explosions at an industrial park in Ezeiza (archived link). More than 20 people suffered minor injuries in the incident.
AFP video shows firefighters battling the blaze (archived link).
Subsequent keyword searches found the same footage used in an A24 news reports about the fire (archived link).
The report says the video shows Sinteplast employees running from the blast, and the footage matches satellite imagery of the Sinteplast facility available on Google Maps (archived link).
AFP has debunked other misinformation stemming from the Middle East war.
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