Fact Check: Iranian missile explodes in Tel Aviv? No, viral video is from 2016

Hyderabad: A video circulating on social media claims to show an Iranian missile exploding in Tel Aviv, Israel, while experts were trying to neutralise it after it landed.

The viral clip shows fire engines spraying water behind a wall when a massive explosion suddenly occurs at the site. However, the object being targeted by the firefighters is not visible in the video.

The US-Israel war on Iran is escalating rapidly. Missile exchanges have intensified, with Iran launching fresh missiles at Israel, while Israel has expanded strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

Sharing the video, one user wrote on X, “BREAKING: Iranian missile lands in Tel Aviv but did not explode. Firefighters attempted to approach it. Watch what happens next... BOOOOOOOM.” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video actually shows an explosion during a magnesium-fuelled fire in Los Angeles in 2016 and is unrelated to the ongoing conflict.

Analysis of the video

A reverse image search of the video’s keyframes revealed that it was originally published on the Jukin Media website on June 16, 2016. The title suggests it shows a building explosion during a magnesium-fuelled fire in Maywood, Los Angeles. Firefighters were responding to a four-alarm fire at a metal recycling plant and sprayed water on burning magnesium, which triggered a large explosion.

We found an official report on the incident published by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The report states that a fire broke out at Panda International Trading, located at 3570 Fruitland Ave. in Maywood, Los Angeles County, on June 14, 2016.

Around 10,000 pounds of magnesium were stored at the site. During firefighting operations that morning, the magnesium exploded twice, showering Fruitland Ave. and the nearby residential neighbourhood with chunks of burning magnesium.

CBS News reported on June 15, 2016, that the fire triggered a series of explosions, sending a thick plume of toxic smoke into the air. When firefighters attempted to douse the flames with water, the reaction between water and burning magnesium intensified the fire and triggered the blasts.

These reports suggest that the second explosion caused during the firefighting operation was captured in the viral video, which is now being falsely circulated as footage of an Iranian missile explosion in Israel.

It is therefore clear that the video in question is from a 2016 explosion in Los Angeles County and is unrelated to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.