An image of a major fire with a huge smoke cloud in a city at night has gone viral.
Those sharing the image claim that it shows a fire breaking out in Tel Aviv, a city in Israel, hinting that it could be the result of the ongoing Israel-Hezbollah conflict. A social media user shared the image and wrote, “Tel Aviv is lit up in flames.”
SouthCheck found that the claim was false. The image captured the attack on a Moscow concert hall.
On doing a Google reverse image search, we found the same image uploaded by the website Webangah.ir on March 23, 2024. The report suggested that the fire in the image was due to a terrorist attack at the Crocus complex near Moscow, the capital of Russia. The report stated that the Hamas Islamic Resistance Movement condemned the attack.
According to CNN, assailants entered the Crocus City Hall, a popular concert hall complex near Moscow, with guns and incendiary devices killing over 60 people. Later, an ISIS-affiliated news agency Amaq published a short statement and said that the terror group was responsible for the attack.
The image was also published along with a report by Sputnik News India on March 24, 2024, regarding the same terrorist attack in Moscow. “Following the tragic terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall near Moscow, the Russian Embassy in India has launched an online condolence book for individuals who wish to offer support to the families of the victims,” the report said.
Lokmat Times also published the same image in a report about the Moscow Concert Hall attack. The report stated that 93 people died in the attack and 11 suspects were detained.
The same was reported on another website Armenia Press on March 22, 2024. The website was based out of Armenia.