The ongoing West Asia conflict began in early 2026 when Israel, backed by the United States, launched major airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear and military sites, killing top leaders.
Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks on Israel, US bases, and allies across the Middle East. The conflict has since spread regionally, disrupting oil routes and causing heavy civilian casualties. Moreover, amid the war, Iran launched retaliatory missile attacks, including near Israel’s nuclear site, injuring civilians.
In the above context, a video of dense white smoke bellowing over a city is being widely shared online.
Those sharing the video claim it shows an attack on an Israeli nuclear reactor by an Iranian missile.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “Israel’s nuclear reactor targeted with Fatah and Kheibar missiles. Well done Iran! The whole world is with you.” (Translated from Hindi)
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. We found that the viral video is from 2017. It shows an explosion at an ammunition depot in Balakliia, Ukraine, which forced the evacuation of around 20,000 people.
On a Google reverse image search, we found that a longer version of the same video was shared by a YouTube channel on March 26, 2017. The caption associated with the video read, “Explosion at Balakeya arms depot in Eastern Ukraine.”
We also found the longer version in a report by Global News, a Canadian news website, on March 24, 2017.
In the video, at around 41 seconds, we can see the same clip in the viral video.
According to the report, a massive explosion at a Ukrainian ammunition depot in Balakliia in March 2017 triggered a large fire and forced the evacuation of around 20,000 people near the Russian border. One person was killed when a shell hit a nearby home. Officials suspected sabotage as the cause, and emergency services worked to contain ongoing blasts.
We found that Daily Mail UK also reported on the incident on March 24, 2017.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral video is from 2017 and unrelated to the ongoing conflict in West Asia.
