Old video misrepresented as attack on Iranian capital in June 2026
- Published on June 10, 2026 at 09:58
- 2 min read
- By Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE, AFP Thailand
Israel said it intercepted Iranian missiles in June 2026 for the first time since a truce came into effect in the Middle East war, but a clip circulating online does not show a recent Israeli strike on Tehran. In fact, the footage was filmed in March -- days after the United States and Israel killed the Islamic republic's supreme leader in an attack, which triggered the war.
"8/6/2026 current scene shows the first moment after the Israeli army bombed a target in Iran," reads a Thai-language Facebook post published on June 8.
It shares a 42-second video showing a giant plume of smoke rising over a city.
The false claim, also circulating on TikTok and in Arabic, appeared after Iran launched missiles at Israel on June 7 -- the first time since a ceasefire came into effect months ago -- as retaliation over Israel's attack on Beirut. Israel responded by targeting military sites in Iran (archived link).
Iran's military command announced the following day it would halt its operation against Israel but warned of more attacks if Israel continued its assault on Lebanon (archived link).
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, reasserted Israel's right to defend itself against Iran at any time (archived link).
But the circulating clip was actually filmed months ago.
Old video
A reverse image search using the video's keyframes led to the same footage posted on YouTube by Qatari media Al-Araby on March 3 (archived link).
Its caption describes it as "moments of a violent airstrike and thick smoke rising over the Iranian capital, Tehran".
Al-Araby credited the video to an Instagram account called "@miiyo_miyo" where the user posted a clip showing the same scene on the previous day with a Persian-language hashtag reading "Iran" (archived link).
The account's owner did not respond to an AFP request for comment.
AFP also distributed the footage on March 3 with a description that it "shows a thick cloud of billowing smoke rising after a strike in Tehran, as loud explosions continue to rock the Iranian capital".
US and Israeli forces targeted the Iranian capital on the day after killing the Islamic republic's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in an attack on February 28 (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation linked to the Middle East war.
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