Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Video showing aftermath of Iran’s missile attack on Israel
Also read: Iran Launches Attack On Israel? Video Viral With False Claims
Fact
Newschecker began by analysing the video closely, which drew our attention to the fact that the language that was being spoken off camera was Spanish. This confirmed our suspicion that the video is not from Israel.
We then split the video into several keyframes and conducted reverse image searches on them, which led us to several social media posts carrying the same video, revealing that it was from Texas, US and not Israel.
One such post on X, from March 2, 2024 by handle @alber83720, carrying the same video, claimed that it was from Texas.
However, we found comments under the video pointing out that it was from Chile and not Texas, prompting us to look further, which took us to this video posted by @chile_accion, on their X page, on February 4, 2024.
On researching further we found reports that revealed that Chile saw huge forest fire in early February which saw over 100 deaths and a loss of over 64,000 acres of forest cover.
Hence, we find that the video has been on the internet since early February and hence is not related to the recent attack on Israel as has been claimed in the viral post.
Result: False
Our Sources
Post on X, by @Huberton, dated March 03, 2024
Post on X, by @alber83720, dated March 02, 2024
Post on X, by @chile_accion, dated February 4, 2024
(Correction: This article was updated on April 14, 2024 to include more details about the origin of the video following subsequent research)
If you would like us to fact-check a claim, give feedback or lodge a complaint, WhatsApp us at 9999499044 or email us at checkthis@newschecker.in. You can also visit the Contact Us page and fill out the form. Follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates.
Authors
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
