Video does not show Tel Aviv ‘burning’ after Iran missile strike

A video liked more than 1,300 times on Threads claims to show the Israeli city of Tel Aviv “burning”. 

The video has also been shared a number of times on Facebook with some of these posts specifying that the city is on fire as a result of an Iranian attack. 

But the clip, which was posted to the platform on 15 April, has been circulating online since at least 23 March and appears to show Ukrainian missiles targeting Russian ships in a Crimean port. 

The post claiming the footage was shot in Tel Aviv was shared on 14 April, after Iran launched more than 300 missiles towards Israel on the night of 13 April. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—a branch of its armed forces—reportedly said the attack was “in retaliation” against Israel’s “repeated crimes”, including the attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus, Syria, on 1 April 2024. 

The majority of the missiles were intercepted by the Israeli military, with assistance from Jordan, the US and the UK. 

Full Fact could not find any information to suggest that buildings in Tel Aviv were hit during the attack on Saturday, though it was reported that explosions were heard over the city.

We often see misinformation such as miscaptioned videos like this on social media, especially during a major news story, and have fact checked a number of other misleading posts relating to the Iranian attack. 

It’s important to take the time to determine whether something shows what it claims to before sharing it online—our guides on identifying misleading images and videos may help you to do this. 

You can find more of our work checking claims relating to the conflict in the Middle East on our website.