Fact Check: Bazan oil refinery in Israel’s Haifa hit by Iran? Yes, but video is old
A video of an explosion has been circulating online, claiming it depicts an Iranian attack on the Bazan oil refinery in Israel’s Haifa.
By Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows an explosion at the Bazan oil refinery in Haifa, Israel, caused by an Iranian missile strike.
Fact:The claim is misleading. While Iran did target the oil refinery in Haifa, the viral video has been online since at least 2015 and is unrelated to the recent incident.
Hyderabad: Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Iran, marked by drone and airstrikes from both sides, a video depicting an explosion has been circulating on social media.
The users sharing the video claim that the video shows the explosion of the Bazan oil refinery in Israel’s Haifa, from an Iranian strike.
An X user shared the video with the caption, “The Bazan Oil Refinery in Haifa has been hit with damage to pipeline systems and fires breaking out at the site.” An archived version of a similar post can be seen here.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading. The video has been available on the internet since at least 2015.
A reverse image search of the video’s keyframes found that it was uploaded by several YouTube channels (links here, here and here) in November 2015, claiming the video depicts the explosion of a chemical plant in China.
A Facebook user shared the video in 2016, claiming it showed a massive explosion at an oil field in the South China Sea.
A website, Military.com, also published the video in November 2015, stating that the video shows an explosion at a chemical plant in China.
However, NewsMeter could not independently verify the location of the video, but we confirm that the video has been available on the internet since at least 2015.
Did Iran target the Bazan oil refinery in the ongoing conflict?
According to a June 16 report by The Jerusalem Post, the Bazan Group announced that all facilities and subsidiaries of its oil refinery were shut down following an Iranian missile strike.
According to a June 17 report by The Wall Street Journal, Israeli energy company Bazan confirmed that its Haifa oil refinery sustained damage to a pipeline and transmission line during Iran’s missile attack. While core operations at the site remain functional, some downstream facilities within the complex have been shut down.
Therefore, we conclude that while Iran did target the Bazan oil refinery in Haifa, the viral video is old and does not depict an explosion caused by the Iranian missile strike. The claim is misleading.
