Old video of Dubai fire misrepresented as recent US airstrikes on Iran
- Published on June 5, 2026 at 10:33
- Updated on June 5, 2026 at 11:12
- 2 min read
- By Harshana SILVA, AFP Sri Lanka
Iran has accused the United States of violating a fragile ceasefire that has largely held since April, but a video of a structure engulfed in flames does not depict US forces striking Iranian air force bases in May 2026, contrary to social media posts. The footage shows a warehouse fire in Dubai in November 2025.
"Middle East is on fire again. US fighter jets launch massive missile attack on Iranian air force bases," reads a Sinhala-language Facebook post from May 26, 2026.
AFP debunked the video earlier when it circulated with claims of Iranian airstrikes on Israel.
The 28-second clip shows thick plume of black smoke rising from a building enveloped in flames. Vehicular traffic movement can be seen on the nearby street.
Sinhala text on the video says, "The Middle East is on fire again, US fighter jets launch massive missile attack targeting Iranian air force bases".
Iran's foreign ministry on May 26 accused the United States of violating a fragile ceasefire affecting the southern coastal province of Hormozgan, without specifying the incident (archived link).
The accusation comes after US Central Command said its forces had attacked missile sites and boats in southern Iran that were trying to lay mines in the Gulf, while Iran's Revolutionary Guards said it fired at US aircraft trying to enter its airspace.
US forces also launched strikes that hit southern Iran on May 28, drawing retaliation from Tehran against a US military base, in the most serious clashes since an April ceasefire began (archived link).
Fresh fighting, that jettisons the talks aimed at formally ending the war, appeared to begin when Iranian forces fired at four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz.
Similar claims spread elsewhere on Facebook and X .
But the clip actually shows a November 2025 warehouse fire in Dubai, months before the war began.
Dubai fire
Reverse image search of keyframes from the clip on Google and subsequent keyword searches found the video published on the official Instagram account of UAE-based media organisation Gulf Moments (archived link).
"Fire breaks out in Dubai's Umm Ramool Warehouses" its overlaid text says.
The Dubai government's media office said firefighters contained the blaze at the Umm Ramool warehouse in less than 40 minutes and no injuries were reported (archived link).
Online video agency Newsflare also published the same video on November 24, 2025 (archived link).
Further keyword searches found similar visuals of a fire mishap shared by a local news site on X on November 24, 2025, reporting that firefighters tackled the blaze at a paint warehouse (archived link).
Visuals from the video correspond with Google Street View imagery of Al Rabat Street in Dubai (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked misinformation swirling around the Middle East war.
Updated paragraph 6 to clarify timeline of incident in southern IranJune 5, 2026 Updated paragraph 6 to clarify timeline of incident in southern Iran
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