Video of Hong Kong blaze misrepresented as Iran's attack on Israel
- Published on June 18, 2026 at 09:13
- 3 min read
- By AFP Indonesia
Israel and Iran traded fire in June 2026 before a peace deal meant to end the Middle East war was announced, but a video circulating online does not show the aftermath of an Iranian strike in Israel. The footage in fact shows a deadly fire at a housing complex in Hong Kong in November 2025.
"Haifa rocked by massive explosions as Iranian missiles strike northern Israel," says a text overlay on a TikTok post on June 8, 2026, referring to an Israeli city.
The attached video shows several buildings engulfed in flames, with fire engines in the foreground.
"Iranian forces launched a series of ballistic missiles targeting northern Israel, particularly striking the city of Haifa. The barrage took place on the night of June 7, 2026, and was described as the first bombardment since a fragile ceasefire was put in place in early April," reads part of the post in Indonesian.
The video circulated after Iran launched missiles at Israel on June 7 -- the first bombardment since a ceasefire took effect months earlier -- in retaliation for Israel's attack on Beirut (archived link).
Lebanon was pulled into the war in March when Hezbollah launched rockets at Israel after the killing of Iran's supreme leader, prompting Israeli strikes and a ground invasion (archived link).
US President Donald Trump and Iran's president signed a deal on June 17 meant to end the war, with Tehran agreeing to reopen the Strait of Hormuz and the United States to lift its naval blockade of Iranian ports. A signing ceremony is expected days later, with negotiations over a final agreement to begin immediately afterwards (archived here and here).
Lebanon is included in the peace deal, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said his country's forces would remain in Lebanon "for as long as necessary" (archived link).
Similar claims also spread elsewhere on TikTok, on X and in other languages. It also appeared on the India-based Facebook page Kaler Barta, whose watermark is on the video.
But the clip is old and actually shows a fire in Hong Kong's Tai Po district.
A reverse image search on Google found the same footage published on the Instagram account of Hong Kong outlet Inmedia on November 26, 2025 (archived link).
"Level 5 alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court -- situation after nightfall," says part of its traditional Chinese caption, referring to the Hong Kong fire department's highest level of response.
AFP also distributed photos of the blaze, which killed 168 people -- the deadliest residential building fire globally since 1980 (archived link).
The fire engulfed seven out of eight residential towers in the complex, which were undergoing renovations and were wrapped in substandard netting that may have contributed to its spread (archived link).
The directors of the construction contractor and the consultant firm involved in the project, as well as an inspector, were accused of manslaughter along with their companies, while several others were charged with defrauding, money laundering and tax evasion.
A subsequent search on Google Maps Street View of the Tai Po area shows the same buildings and road signs visible in the false video (archived link).
AFP has debunked another claim that also falsely links the footage to the Middle East war.
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