2015 Video Of Airstrike In Yemen Viral As Explosion Near Kirana Hills After Operation Sindoor

Claim

Video claiming to show an explosion near Kirana Hills, a site reportedly linked to Pakistan’s nuclear programme, after India’s military airstrikes under Operation Sindoor.

The archived version of the post can be seen here.

Fact

Newschecker first ran a reverse image search of keyframes, which led us to this video in an X post, dated May 11, 2015, stating that it shows an explosion in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa. Another post from May 11, 2015 can be seen here, further confirming that the viral video is not related to Operation Sindoor.

Taking a cue from this, we ran a relevant keyword search, which led us to this Washington Post report on April 20, 2015, quoting Reuters, saying that there was an airstrike in Sanaa, Yemen. When we compared the video in this report with the viral clip, we found many similarities. The video of the explosion in the media report is taken from a distance and from another angle, but in both the videos, the explosion is clearly taking place in the same hilly area. Also, the similarly coloured and structured building is visible in both the videos.

A further search led us to this Al Jazeera report on April 21, 2015, with similar visuals and stating that it shows the Saudi Arabia-led airstrikes on April 20, 2015 in Sanaa, targeting a suspected weapons depot of Houthi fighters, killing at least 46 people.

Also Read: Indian Flag In Balochistan? No, Here’s The Truth Behind Viral Videos

Source
X post, May 11, 2015
Washington Post report, April 20, 2015
Al Jazeera report., April 21, 2015