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Fact Check
Photos showing vehicles on fire and thick smoke near Delhi’s Red Fort following the car blast on November 10.
The viral photos are not from Delhi. Both images are old and unrelated, originating from separate incidents that took place in Beirut, Lebanon, in 2014 and 2024.
As news of a car blast near Delhi’s Red Fort on Monday, November 10, 2025, emerged, several images claiming to show the explosion went viral on social media. Newschecker investigated two such photos and found them to be old and unrelated to the recent incident in the national capital.
Photo shows multiple vehicles on fire after Delhi blast.
A Google Lens search of the viral image led to The Guardian report dated January 2, 2014, covering a car bombing in Beirut’s Haret Hreik area, a Hezbollah stronghold.
The same photo appeared in The Wall Street Journal, captioned, “Flames rise from burning cars at the site of a car bombing that hit Beirut’s southern suburb of Haret Hreik, a Hezbollah stronghold.”
Multiple other media outlets (seen here, here and here) also reported on the blast in Lebanon in January 2014.
Image shows smoke billowing over Delhi after the recent blast.
A reverse image search revealed that the viral photo was used in a Reuters report from September 29, 2024, showing smoke over Beirut’s southern suburbs following Israeli air raids targeting Hezbollah positions.
The caption read, “Smoke billows over Beirut’s southern suburbs, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces.”
The viral version circulating on social media is a mirrored version of this 2024 photo.
Additionally, the Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Fact Check Unit confirmed that the image was from Lebanon, not Delhi.
Also Read: Did COAS General Dwivedi Say Army Will Reduce Number Of ‘Non-Hindu’ Soldiers?
The viral photos claiming to show scenes from the recent Delhi car blast are old images from Beirut, Lebanon, taken in 2014 and 2024.
Q1. Are the viral images of the Delhi car blast real?
No. The viral images are from past explosions in Beirut, Lebanon, and have no connection to Delhi.
Q2. Why do such old photos go viral after current events?
Old or foreign visuals are often recycled online during major news events to mislead audiences or gain engagement.
Q3. How can I verify viral images myself?
You can use reverse image search tools like Google Lens or TinEye to check when and where a photo first appeared.
Sources
Report By The Guardian, Dated January 2, 2014
Report By The Wall Street Journal, Dated January 2, 2014
Report By Reuters, Dated September 29, 2024
X Post By PIB Fact Check, Dated November 10, 2025
False
Vasudha Beri
December 2, 2025
Vasudha Beri
December 2, 2025
Vasudha Beri
December 1, 2025
