Fact Check: Explosion at Kabul Airport? No, video shows bombing in Rafah
An image claiming to show explosions at Kabul Airport from a Pakistani airstrike is viral on social media.
By - M Ramesh Naik
Claim:The image shows two explosions heard at Kabul Airport, reportedly caused by a new Pakistani Air Force airstrike.
Fact:False. The image shows Israeli bombardment in Rafah, southern Gaza, from March 2024.
Hyderabad: Pakistan and Afghanistan witnessed their most intense military confrontation in years on Friday, according to officials from both sides, marking a sharp escalation in months of simmering tensions and cross-border skirmishes.
Afghan forces reportedly stormed several Pakistani border posts, prompting a swift response from Islamabad. Pakistan retaliated with a series of airstrikes targeting key urban centres and military installations across Afghanistan.
Amid this, a photo showing a massive fireball lighting up the night sky is going viral on X with the claim that explosions occurred at Kabul Airport following a Pakistani airstrike.
The image depicts a bright white-yellow fireball erupting over a densely built urban area at night, with buildings silhouetted against the blaze and sparks and smoke rising into the sky. Some versions of the post include an overlaid image of a fighter jet launching missiles, along with bold text describing it as a Pakistani Air Force strike on Kabul Airport.
An X user shared the image with the caption: “2 explosions heard at Kabul Airport. Reportedly, Pakistan Air Force conducted a new airstrike.” (Archive)
Similar claims can be seen here and here.(Archive1, Archive2)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The viral image does not show any explosion at Kabul Airport. Instead, it depicts Israeli bombardment in Rafah, southern Gaza.
Where was the image actually from?
A reverse image search of the viral photo led us to its source.
The image was published on March 27, 2024, by News24 in an article titled “‘Dying just to get a can of tuna’: Israel bombards Gaza as fears of ‘man-made famine’ grow.”
The photograph, credited to Said Khatib/AFP, shows a fireball erupting during overnight Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. At the time, approximately 1.5 million displaced Palestinians were sheltering in the area amid ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas.
The article reported multiple airstrikes, explosions and widespread destruction in Rafah that night. The viral image matches the visuals published in that report.
Was there an Israeli airstrike at Kabul Airport?
A review of recent news coverage found no credible reports of explosions or Pakistani airstrikes at Kabul Airport on or around February 27.
While there have been periodic border tensions and clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan in recent months, no verified incident aligns with the viral claim of explosions at Kabul Airport.
The viral claim that the image shows explosions at Kabul Airport caused by a Pakistani airstrike is false.
The photo actually captures Israeli bombardment in Rafah, southern Gaza, from March 2024, and is being shared with false context.
