Old clip of Iranian attack's aftermath on Israel resurfaces online
- Published on April 3, 2026 at 10:14
- Updated on April 3, 2026 at 10:59
- 2 min read
- By Nyan Tun SHEIN, AFP Thailand
Iran has launched attacks on Israel to avenge a joint US-Israeli operation in February 2026, but footage circulating online does not show damage in Tel Aviv from the latest fighting. It was in fact filmed in 2025 showing buildings destroyed in the Israeli city of Bat Yam in the conflict that year.
A clip showing a neighbourhood in ruins was shared on Facebook on March 8, 2026 with a caption that reads, "Tel Aviv, Israel".
The post emerged as the Israeli military warned on the same day that it had "identified missiles launched from Iran towards the territory of the State of Israel" (archived link).
Both Iran and Lebanon's Tehran-backed Hezbollah militant group have targeted Tel Aviv in a series of retaliatory strikes after the United States and Israel launched a massive air campaign against Iran on February 28, killing the Islamic republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Israel's military also reported a new missile salvo from Iran as the war entered its second month (archived link).
Israeli emergency services reported some damage to houses and cars from an unintercepted cluster missile, while Israeli military radio said a train station in Tel Aviv was damaged by shrapnel.
Similar claims spread on Instagram, TikTok and X in various languages, but it actually shows damage from Iran's counter-attack on Israel in 2025.
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes of the falsely shared video led to an AFP video streamed on June 15, 2025 showing the same buildings (archived link).
The damaged buildings can be seen at the 1:08 timestamp (archived link).
"Damaged buildings in Bat Yam, near Tel Aviv, in Israel, as Israeli police say six people were killed and at least 180 injured at the site of an overnight Iranian missile strike," reads part of the video's description.
AFP published another picture on the day showing the same scene from another angle, while images on Google Maps Street View confirm the buildings are in the Bat Yam area (archived link).
Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, 2025, hitting nuclear and military facilities and residential areas, and triggering a wave of Iranian missile attacks on Israel that continued until a ceasefire came into effect 11 days later.
AFP has debunked a wave of misinformation related to the Middle East war.
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