Fact Check: Old Yemen gas station blast video falsely linked to recent Iranian attack on Israel

Amid these tensions, a video claiming to show a massive explosion in Israel triggered by an Iranian missile attack has gone viral.

An X user shared the video with the caption: “Videos circulating on Israeli Telegram groups show the impact of Iranian attacks on Israel. The fire is still burning. Israel has asked people not to broadcast the video or share the photos.” (Translated from Hindi) (Archive)

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Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video captured a gas station explosion in Aden, Yemen.

A reverse image search traced the video to an X post by the Tehran Times shared on August 31, 2024. The caption read, “Massive fireball, explosion reported at a gas station in Aden, Yemen,” posted.

This indicated that the video was old.

We also found a report by Al Thawra News titled, ‘Five people killed, 13 others injured in Aden gas station explosion.’ The report, also published on August 31, featured a screenshot of the explosion in the viral video.

According to the report, violent explosions occurred in Aden on Friday evening, resulting in large fires and widespread panic among locals. The initial blast took place at a gas station in the Hashid neighbourhood on 90th Street in the Mansoura district.

Additionally, The Free Press Journal shared the same video titled, ‘Yemen: Massive Explosions at Aden Gas Station Sends Shockwaves Through Residential Area’ dated August 31, 2024.

The report stated that five individuals lost their lives and six others were injured. The explosion caused significant fear among residents in the densely populated area, with witnesses observing flames engulfing the gas station just before the blast.