Fact Check: Old video shared as Israeli embassy set on fire in Bahrain amid conflict with Hamas
the incident in the video is unrelated to the current Israeli-Hamas conflict. It shows people setting fire to a police station in Sitara, Bahrain, in 2012.
By Md Mahfooz Alam Published on 21 Oct 2023 9:42 AM GMT
Screengrab of the Facebook post.
Hyderabad: Amid the ongoing Israeli-Hamas conflict, a video of people torching a building is viral on social media, with users claiming the video shows people trying to burn down the Israeli embassy in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.
An X premium user shared the video with the caption, “People of Bahrain tried to burn the Israeli embassy in Manama. (sic)” He also used hashtags such as “#IsrealPalestineconflict #IsraelAttack.”
(Source: Facebook)
Several X and Facebook users have also shared the video claiming the same. Click here and here to view the posts.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the incident in the video is unrelated to the current Israeli-Hamas conflict. It shows people setting fire to a police station in Sitara, Bahrain, in 2012.
Upon a reverse image search of the video’s keyframes, we found an image of the same building on fire posted on Facebook, by an account named Occupy Bahrain on November 7, 2012. The caption mentioned that the building set on fire in the video is a police station.
We also found the extended version of the video on YouTube, published by a verified channel RevolutionBahrain on December 30, 2012. The viral clip appears at a 0.59-second timestamp.
According to the description, the video shows protesters attacking a Sitara police station in Manama, Bahrain’s capital, on November 3, 2012. It also said that the attack happened after the deterioration of Hassan Mushai’s health in Al-Khalifiya prison.
A news report by the United Press International on November 5, 2012, mentioned that a group of youths were seen throwing Molotov cocktails at the Sitara police station.
Hence, we conclude that the video does not show the burning of the Israeli embassy in Bahrain. The claim is false.
