Fact Check: Delhi blast - Sky engulfed in smoke after explosion? No, image is from Beirut

Hyderabad: At least 10 people were killed and many were injured when a car exploded near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday evening, November 10, prompting police to invoke anti-terror laws. The blast occurred around 6:42 pm when a slow-moving vehicle stopped at a red light before exploding, engulfing surrounding vehicles in flames.

Meanwhile, an image has been circulating on social media, claiming to show the visuals of the explosion in Delhi. The image shows a huge body of fire and smoke engulfing the sky.

An X user shared the image with the caption, “#BREAKING: Just in, massive explosion being reported in New Delhi, India. Such sad news, I hope this doesn’t escalate the situation between Pakistan and India now.” (Archive)

An archive of similar posts can be seen here, here and here.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false, as the image shows smoke billowing over Beirut’s southern suburbs following an IDF attack in September 2024.

A reverse image search led us to the same image published by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), UAE-based The National News and India’s News18 on September 24.

Media reports accompanying the image stated that it shows smoke billowing over Beirut’s southern suburbs following an Israeli air strike. The reports also state that the Israeli army announced it killed Muhammad Ali Ismail, commander of Hezbollah’s missile unit in southern Lebanon, along with his deputy and several other leaders of the Iran-backed militant group in the attack.

The Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) fact-checking wing clarified on its official X handle in a post on November 10 that the image is old and falsely linked to the recent Delhi blast. PIB stated the image shows a 2024 explosion in Lebanon, not the Delhi incident.

Therefore, we conclude that the image does not show the Delhi explosion. Hence, the claim is false.