The UAE reportedly carried out a covert strike on Iran’s Lavan Island on May 11, after repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks on Emirati territory. Reports say the attack targeted Iranian military or logistical assets near the Strait of Hormuz. The UAE has not officially confirmed the operation, but tensions between the two countries have sharply escalated. The conflict has also raised fears of a wider Gulf war involving Iran, the UAE, Israel and the US.
In the above context, a video is being widely shared on social media in which a plume of smoke is seen rising from a building. The video is shared with a caption suggesting that it shows a missile attack by the UAE in Iran’s Tehran.
A social media user shared the video with a caption that reads, “BREAKING: THE SKY OVER TEHRAN HAS TURNED PITCH BLACK. Reports are flooding in of a massive, unprecedented strike by the UAE deep into Iranian territory. We are seeing visuals of an absolute inferno—this isn’t just a skirmish; this is TOTAL WAR territory. (sic)”
SouthCheck found that the claim is false. The video shows a massive fire at Tangchi Auto Parts City in Tangshan, Hebei, China.
On a Google reverse image search, we found an extended version of the video shared by an X account on May 11.
The caption read, “Massive fire at Tangchi Auto Parts City in Tangshan, Hebei, China. Huge black smoke clouds over Tangshan as warehouses, repair shops & auto-parts units burned intensely. Turns out “Made in China” burns as fast as it’s built.”
We further found that the video was also shared by Times Now World on May 11.
The video is shared with a caption that reads, “A massive fire devastated the Tangchi Auto Parts City area in Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China, engulfing numerous buildings and triggering a major emergency response. Firefighters and rescue teams rushed to the scene, but the intensity and rapid spread of the flames made containment operations extremely difficult. Authorities said the blaze caused extensive property damage across the industrial market area.”
The video was also shared by another website, Metro web on March 10.
The video is shared with a report that suggests that a massive fire broke out at the Tangchi Auto Parts City in Tangshan, China, engulfing the structure in flames and sending thick smoke into the sky. Videos from the scene showed the blaze visible from several kilometres away as firefighters rushed to contain it. The fire caused major destruction, though no immediate casualties were reported. Authorities have launched an investigation into the cause of the incident.
Hence, we can ascertain that the viral claim is false.
