Karachi Port Destroyed In Indian Navy Attack? Social Media Rife With Old, Unrelated Visuals

Following the recent reports of Indian Navy’s alleged attack on Karachi port, social media platforms went rife with unverified visuals claiming to show the damage inflicted to the Pakistan coast. Newschecker investigated three such visuals and found them to be old and unrelated to the recent escalations between New Delhi and Islamabad. 

A photo allegedly showing Karachi port on fire following the Indian Navy’s strike has surfaced online. 

The post can be seen here.

Also Read: Viral Images Claiming To Show Pakistani Pilot Being Captured Found To Be Old, AI-Generated

A Google Lens search on the image led us to a report by BBC, dated February 24, 2020, titled “Israel-Gaza sees surge of cross-border violence”. Carrying the viral image, it stated, “The Israeli military has carried out air strikes against the militant group Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in Gaza and Syria in response to rocket fire.” The photo was credited to Getty Images. 

We were also able to find the viral photo listed on Getty Images with the description, “A ball of fire is seen following an Israel airstrike at Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip early on February 23, 2020. -Israeli aircraft hit what the military said were Islamic Jihad sites in the Gaza Strip late on February 23, after Palestinian militants said they fired a barrage of rockets at Israel.” 

A photo claiming to show India’s INS Vikrant launching an attack against Pakistan has gone viral on social media platforms. 

The post can be seen here.

We looked up the image on Google Lens which yielded an X post by ANI -whose watermark can be seen in the viral photo- from October 15, 2023. Displaying the viral image, among others, it stated, “Western Naval Commander Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi embarked on the western fleet warships to review operational and combat readiness. He witnessed anti-submarine, anti-aircraft, and surface drills, and live firings by multiple platforms in a realistic multi-threat scenario, including air operations from INS Vikramaditya.”

A Navbharat Times report from October 2023 also featured the viral image. 

Also Read: Instagram Banned In India From May 10? No, Viral Claim Is False, Says Meta

Karachi Port Destroyed?

A video allegedly showing the aftermath of the Indian Navy’s recent attack on Karachi port has gone viral online.

The post can be seen here.

Fact

A Google Lens search on the keyframes of the viral clip led us to an Instagram post by @dogheartnews, dated February 2, 2025. It carried the same footage identifying it to be from a plane crash in Philadelphia. 

We found a YouTube video by @HakanTuluhan01, dated February 1, 2025, also carrying the same clip corroborating that it was from a plane crash in Philadelphia. Notably, these videos did not carry the audio heard in the viral footage. 

Taking a clue, we looked up keywords “Philadelphia” and “plane crash” on Google led us to multiple reports on a small aircraft tragedy in the US city earlier this year. One such report by NPR, dated February 2, 2025, stated that the crash occurred near Roosevelt Mall. 

We then looked up the same on Google Maps and were able to locate the spot seen in the viral clip in US’ Philadelphia. 

On carefully analysing the camera movement in the viral clip, we concluded that it shows a Dunkin Donuts outlet opposite what appeared to be a maroon-bricked building. The same can be seen in Google Images for Philadelphia. 

Also Read: Fire Erupts In Amritsar After Pak Army Attack? No, Old Photo Viral With False Claim

Hence, old and unrelated visuals have been shared to show that Karachi post was destroyed following the Indian Navy’s attack. 

Sources
Report By BBC, Dated February 24, 2020
Getty Images Website
X Post By ANI, Dated October 15, 2023
Instagram Post By @dogheartnews, Dated February 2, 2025
Google Images