Spain wildfire video falsely linked to renewed US-Iran strikes
- Published on July 20, 2026 at 10:15
- 2 min read
- By Chayanit ITTHIPONGMAETEE, AFP Thailand
The United States and Iran traded fresh strikes in July, but footage of a massive hillside blaze circulating on social media is unrelated to the renewed fighting. The clip was originally shared online the same month by a Spanish politician and depicts a deadly wildfire in Spain's southern Almeria province.
"The Middle East conflict is heated," reads the Thai-language caption to the video shared on Facebook on July 14, 2026.
The 29-second clip shows dark smoke from a hillside fire blanketing the sky. Cars can be seen on the road while a helicopter flies toward the blaze.
"The Middle East conflict is heated. America struck up to 140 targets in Iran," says the superimposed text.
Similar posts surfaced on Instagram and Threads as Washington and Tehran traded strikes, with more ships coming under attack in the vital Strait of Hormuz (archived link).
War broke out in late February following joint US-Israeli air strikes that killed Iran's supreme leader.
Iran has struck back by targeting US allies and military assets in its own neighbourhood, and by virtually blocking the waterway through which a fifth of world oil supplies transited prior to the fighting.
A preliminary deal aimed at ending the war has collapsed as the foes fight to break a deadlock over the strait.
The video circulating online, however, has been misrepresented.
Spain wildfire
A reverse image search using keyframes surfaced a higher-resolution version of the clip posted July 9, 2026 on the Instagram page of Rodrigo Alonso Fernández, a Spanish lawmaker from the far-right Vox party (archived link).
The caption says the fire that broke out in Los Gallardos was spreading towards the nearby town of Antas in Almeria province.
More than 50 residents had to be evacuated, it adds.
The wildfire swept through the southern Andalusia region in early July and killed 13 people, including 12 foreign nationals (archived link).
The blaze tore through more than 7,000 hectares, making it one of Spain's deadliest wildfires in recent years. Authorities said it was sparked by a fallen electrical cable.
Vox Almeria press officer Sandra Galvez Pardo told AFP the video shows the wildfire in Los Gallardos.
"It was recorded by a person we trust who lives there," she said in an email on July 18.
The footage was also published by the BBC in a report about the wildfire (archived link).
AFP geolocated the video to a roundabout in Los Gallardos, with visible road signs and an underpass matching street view imagery on Google Maps.
More of our reporting on the Middle East conflict can be found here.
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