{"id":8953,"date":"2026-03-08T05:19:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-08T05:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/8953\/"},"modified":"2026-03-08T05:19:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-08T05:19:08","slug":"old-video-image-from-lebanon-falsely-linked-to-middle-east-war","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/8953\/","title":{"rendered":"Old video, image from Lebanon falsely linked to Middle East war"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The United States struck more than 3,000 Iranian targets during the first week of its sweeping military campaign against Tehran, but a video and an image circulating on social media that purportedly show damage caused to the Islamic republic predate the conflict. The video in fact depicts an Israeli strike in Lebanon&#8217;s capital Beirut in 2024, while the image shows the deadly port blast that decimated swathes of the same city in 2020.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Israel and US attacked Iran, pity the civilians,&#8221; says overlaid Tagalog-language text on a <a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/M297-5PMP\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Facebook video;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Facebook video<\/a>\u00a0shared on February 28, 2026.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The video, which was viewed more than 230,000 times, shows a crowd watching as a building is destroyed by what appears to be a missile strike.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A separate <a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20260306064000\/https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fatty.elreneokiddruizcastro%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0sz3cwKU8eHURfk8AyJUM7G4tCpvgTZZqxsbgRr4W4a4knx8LGvrTCvuEgkPYXbxcl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Facebook post;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Facebook post<\/a> from March 1 also shares what it claims is an image of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, overlaying the picture with Tagalog-language text that says:\u00a0&#8220;Donald Trump bombed Iran. Is this the start of World War III?&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Conflict between Iran-US-Israel. The US-Israel attack is a matter of national security and international law,&#8221; reads part of the lengthy Tagalog-language post.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"&lt;span&gt;Screenshots of the false posts captured on March 7, 2026, with red Xs added by AFP&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"554\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/bb0451d343734567f9f18fa558d36f60.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Screenshots of the false posts captured on March 7, 2026, with red Xs added by AFP<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/8X6X-D9T3?type=image\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:video;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">video<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/QVQ6-4TSY?type=image\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:image;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">image<\/a> were also shared elsewhere on Facebook after a massive joint United States and Israel <a href=\"https:\/\/sg.news.yahoo.com\/iran-leader-khamenei-killed-massive-235227332.html\" data-ylk=\"slk:attack on Iran;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;outcm:mb_qualified_link;_E:mb_qualified_link;ct:story;\" class=\"link  yahoo-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">attack on Iran<\/a>, which killed the Islamic republic&#8217;s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/A39C-RVGS?type=image\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Iran responded with a flurry of missile and drone strikes across the Middle East before following up with a new wave after state media confirmed Khamenei&#8217;s death.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">US Central Command, responsible for US forces in the Middle East, said over 3,000 Iranian targets have been struck since the war began, including Revolutionary Guard headquarters, command-and-control centres, air defence systems, missile sites, navy warships and submarines.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The video and image circulating on social media, however, do not show any US-Israeli strikes on Iran. They were both captured in Lebanon&#8217;s capital Beirut, in 2024 and 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Israeli strike on south Beirut<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=linGPlWGcDw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:reverse image search;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">reverse image search<\/a> on Google using <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=bHNimjTpxd8\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:keyframes;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">keyframes<\/a> from the falsely shared video found the footage had previously been published on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=EkJBN9XPp-o&amp;t=6s\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:AFP&#039;s YouTube channel;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">AFP&#8217;s YouTube channel<\/a> on November 22, 2024\u00a0(<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/T39Z-EKV7\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The falsely shared video appears to be a cropped version of the AFP clip.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Its description says it shows &#8220;the moment an Israeli strike hits a building in Beirut&#8217;s southern suburbs following an Israeli army evacuation call&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"&lt;span&gt;Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (L) and the AFP YouTube video from November 2024&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"476\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/f03d8fbe73d92f06136f8004f0653be3.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared video (L) and the AFP YouTube video from November 2024<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Cross-border fire between Israel and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah over the Gaza conflict escalated into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rfi.fr\/en\/middle-east\/20241122-israel-strikes-south-beirut-toppling-11-storey-building\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:full-scale war;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">full-scale war<\/a> in September 2024, with Israel conducting an intensive bombing campaign, primarily targeting Hezbollah strongholds and sending ground troops into southern Lebanon (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/NG2Q-TN4Q\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Lebanon has also been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.abs-cbn.com\/news\/world\/2026\/3\/6\/middle-east-war-enters-seventh-day-as-israel-strikes-beirut-1023\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:dragged into the widening conflict;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">dragged into the widening conflict<\/a> between the United States and Israel and Iran, when Hezbollah attacked Israel to avenge the killing of Khamenei (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/AX89-3YQS?type=image\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Israel responded with air strikes and sent ground troops into some Lebanese border villages, and targeted Beirut&#8217;s southern suburbs, saying it was &#8220;striking Hezbollah infrastructure&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Beirut port explosion<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The falsely shared image has previously been\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/doc.afp.com.63UJ8KD\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:mispresented;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">mispresented<\/a> as showing a US strike on Iran, but reverse image searches show it has circulated since August 2020 when one of the world&#8217;s biggest non-nuclear <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/20200926-lebanon-from-deadly-explosion-to-new-pm-resignation\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:explosions;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">explosions<\/a> destroyed much of Beirut&#8217;s port and devastated swathes of the capital (<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20250627061532\/https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/20200926-lebanon-from-deadly-explosion-to-new-pm-resignation\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">It was caused by a fire in a warehouse that authorities acknowledged had held a vast stockpile of ammonium nitrate.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The blast, which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/live-news\/20250804-five-years-after-beirut-port-blast-lebanon-president-promises-justice\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:killed;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">killed<\/a> more than 220 people and injured at least 6,500 others, struck as Lebanon was mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, marked by an unprecedented depreciation of its currency, massive layoffs and drastic banking restrictions (<a href=\"https:\/\/web.archive.org\/web\/20250805072934\/https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/live-news\/20250804-five-years-after-beirut-port-blast-lebanon-president-promises-justice\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The falsely shared image appears to have been taken from the video of the explosion, which was posted by\u00a0Saudi state-owned broadcaster\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/alarabiya_eng\/status\/1290697270464262149\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Al-Arabiya;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Al-Arabiya<\/a> on X on August 5, 2020 (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/LV22-R3LT\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"&lt;span&gt;Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared image (L) and the clip posted by Al-Arabiya&lt;\/span&gt;\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"614\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/4b2a2fa1f8a25a04dcd2254f451796f2.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Screenshot comparison of the falsely shared image (L) and the clip posted by Al-Arabiya<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The footage also matches <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/maps\/place\/\/@33.8984067,35.5082184,3a,65.5y,79.52h,95.34t\/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sCIHM0ogKEICAgIDaw4L7DA!2e10!6shttps:%2F%2Flh3.googleusercontent.com%2Fgpms-cs-s%2FAFfmt2ai-VGOt5U3ewI0-CZ9zZbE4e10CJNWIh8MfKy7rrxfCY3Kqx3j8LpwHlh9C5Cy2smn2_RclV_XDR38YY9ehsRbIrwxzbxaYxuA5LUy3k12etOOhZz1onK1rWYYutSHIHjBIH3y%3Dw900-h600-k-no-pi-5.337736190515741-ya238.91975525424795-ro0-fo100!7i5376!8i2688?entry=ttu&amp;g_ep=EgoyMDI2MDMwNC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:Google Maps imagery;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">Google Maps imagery<\/a> of the port area (<a href=\"https:\/\/perma.cc\/SHH5-WB5Y\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:archived link;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">archived link<\/a>).<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">AFP has previously debunked other <a href=\"https:\/\/factcheck.afp.com\/list\/Iran-0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" data-ylk=\"slk:false claims;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas\" class=\"link \">false claims<\/a> stemming from the war in Iran.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The United States struck more than 3,000 Iranian targets during the first week of its sweeping military campaign&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8954,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[89,34,37,93,5507,5508,1047,5509],"class_list":{"0":"post-8953","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-lebanon","8":"tag-ayatollah-ali-khamenei","9":"tag-iran","10":"tag-israel","11":"tag-lebanon","12":"tag-missile-strike","13":"tag-reverse-image-search","14":"tag-video","15":"tag-youtube"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116191871842232925","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8953","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8953"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8953\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8954"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8953"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8953"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8953"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}