Fact Check: Massive fire at US consulate in Dubai after drone attack? No, video is old

Hyderabad: Violence has been escalating following retaliatory attacks from Iran after it was struck by a joint operation by Israel and the US on February 28. Tehran targeted Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Iran has also attacked the US Embassies in Kuwait and Riyadh on March 2 and 3. In the latest, a drone attack caused a fire near the US consulate in Dubai on March 3, and Dubai authorities have confirmed that the fire has been successfully contained with no reported injuries.

A video showing large plumes of black smoke covering the sky as fire ravaged buildings is going viral on social media. Those sharing the video claim it shows fire at the American Consulate in Dubai. The Spanish text on the video reads “Dubai under attack” with a ‘Breaking news’ logo.

The video was shared to X with an Arabic language caption that translates to “Watch. Fujairah... the UAE is burning”. (Archive)

The same X video was reposted with the text, “The Iranian drone attack on the US Consulate in Dubai on March 3, 2026. It shows smoke and fires consistent with verified reports of the incident, which targeted a parking lot near the consulate building and caused a blaze. (sic)” (Archive)

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video shows a fire at a market in the New Industrial Area of Ajman, United Arab Emirates, on August 5, 2020.

What are the visuals from the recent attack on US Consulate in Dubai?

We checked if the visuals in the viral video match the ones being shared by mainstream media about the recent attack on the US Consulate in Dubai.

We found a video shared by NDTV from the X account on March 4. The caption read, “A drone attack near the US Consulate in Dubai caused a fire late Tuesday as Iran continued its drone and missile attacks targeting American diplomatic missions in the Middle East.” The video, shot at night, shows smoke coming out of a building on fire. However, the surroundings and the building did not look like those in the viral video.

The Dubai Media Office’s X account also shared two images on the same day with the caption stating that the fire near the US Consulate in Dubai has been fully extinguished, with no injuries reported.

From the video and the images, it is clear there was no major fire with billowing smoke at the consulate as claimed in the viral post.

Where is the viral video from?

Using reverse image searches of the viral video key frames, we found the same clip uploaded to YouTube by TeleSUR English on August 6, 2020. The viral clip can be found at the 00:45-minute mark in the video. It was titled, “Massive fire at Ajman Market - UAE”

The video was also shared by alwatan_live on Instagram with the caption that says that a fire broke out on August 5, 2020, in a popular market in the New Industrial Area of Ajman, United Arab Emirates. “The Ajman Civil Defence Department stated that it dispatched teams to control the blaze in the market (also known as the Iranian Market) in the New Industrial Area,” it stated.

We found several news reports about the incident published by news outlets like Reuters, Dubai Eye, Gulf News and Fox News.

According to the reports, a fire broke out at 6:30 pm near the fruit and vegetable market. It took more than four hours to bring the blaze under control. Ajman Speciality Hospital, which was close to the location, was evacuated as a precautionary measure. There were no reported losses of lives as the market had been closed for several months due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The viral video shows a fire at the Ajman market area on August 5. 2020. It does not show the US Consulate in Dubai under fire.

Therefore, NewsMeter concludes that the viral claim is false.