A dramatic video showing a massive fire engulfing a building has gone viral. In the video, we can see intense flames and thick black smoke rising from what appears to be an industrial facility.
The video is shared by users claiming it captures the moment of a US military strike on Iran amid the escalating conflict in West Asia.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “The biggest attack on Iran so far. Over 500 missiles in a simultaneous strike have shaken the Iranian soil to its core, with smoke everywhere. Remains of over 100 Iranian soldiers found. No trace yet of thousands of soldiers. Iran is nearing its end.”
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The viral video is from an attack in Saudi Arabia in 2022.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that the same video was shared by the Facebook page of DW News on March 26, 2022. The caption read, “A plume of dense smoke could be seen in the Saudi city of Jeddah after a Houthi missile attack on an Aramco oil depot.”
The video was also shared by Reuters on March 26, 2022, with a caption that reads, “Yemen’s Houthis said they launched attacks on Saudi energy facilities and the Saudi-led coalition said oil giant Aramco's petroleum products distribution station in Jeddah was hit, causing a fire in two storage tanks but no casualties.”
Another website, Mercedes Blog, also shared the screenshot on March 26, 2022.
According to the report, on March 25, 2022, Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for attacks on Saudi energy facilities. The Saudi-led coalition confirmed that the Aramco distribution station in Jeddah had been targeted, resulting in a fire that damaged two storage tanks. Crucially, no casualties were reported in the incident.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral video is old and unrelated to the recent US-Iran conflict.
What’s current development in US-Iran conflict?
The video is being circulated amid a rapidly deteriorating security situation in West Asia.
The US and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran starting February 28, and fighting has continued to escalate. Iran has launched renewed attacks on US Gulf allies, with the US conducting a seventh straight night of strikes targeting Iranian military sites as of July 18. Iranian state media has reported multiple casualties, while the US Central Command (CENTCOM) has been actively debunking Iranian claims of civilian infrastructure being targeted.
