Viral video of fire from Iranian missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel

RATING JUSTIFICATION

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted a reverse image search and a keyword search to trace the original video.

Multiple users and accounts on social media platforms X, Instagram, and Facebook shared a video on March 1, 2026, claiming it showed Iran’s missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, amid the current conflict between the two countries. However, the video is old from a fire incident in Dubai.

Israel and the United States launched joint military strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, significantly escalating tensions in the Middle East. President Donald Trump confirmed that the US had begun major combat operations, stating that the objective was to eliminate imminent threats from Iran and protect the American people.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — who had led the Islamic Republic for more than three decades — was killed in a strike in the early hours of Feb 28. The attack was carried out by the US and Israel, both of which had previously called for regime change in Tehran.

Iran condemned the strikes as unprovoked and illegal. In response, it launched missile attacks targeting Israel and at least seven other countries, including Gulf states that host US military bases, and vowed retaliation for Khamenei’s assassination.

HOW IT STARTED

On March 1, an account shared a clip on X of intense, thick black smoke billowing from a fire with the following caption: “Just in: Tel-Aviv is looking sexy tonight! Thank you Iran for new Gaza.”

The post gained 976,800 views.

A pro-Iran account shared the same video with the following caption: “Tel Aviv is looking lit.”

The post accumulated 347,700 views.

Another pro-Iran user posted the same clip with the following caption: “Hundred soldiers of have been eliminated. We will carry out 1,500 more missile attacks on Israel. We will wipe Israel out.”

The post gained 325,400 views.

The same clip was shared on Facebook with a similar caption, gaining 12,000 views.

The clip with a similar context was shared by several other users on Instagram, as can be seen here; on X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here and here; collectively gaining 40,000 views.

Similarly, a user shared the same video in the context of Iran’s missile attack on the United Arab Emirates with the following caption: “Scenes from the Iranian attack on Emirat”.

The post gained 8,300 views.

Despite readers adding context to the video and disputing it, it continued to be widely shared.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated to determine the veracity of the claim due to its virality and keen public interest in the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.

A reverse image search was conducted to corroborate whether the video was from any current incident and yielded an Instagram post shared on November 25, 2025, identifying the video as footage of a fire that broke out in warehouses in Umm Ramool, Dubai.

“Dubai Civil Defence acted fast after a fire broke out in warehouses in Umm Ramool last night, bringing it under control in under 40 minutes. No injuries were reported, and the situation was quickly secured thanks to rapid response teams,” read the caption.

Further investigation revealed a local media outlet, Abu Dhabi Times, post dated November 25, 2025, describing it as a fire that broke out in warehouses in Dubai’s Umm Ramool area.

The caption of the post read, “Fire breaks out in multiple warehouses in Dubai ’s Umm Ramool. Emergency crews are on-site working to control”.

The same clip was shared by social media accounts with the same context of a fire incident in Umm Ramool, as can be seen here and here.

The visual elements seen in the Abu Dhabi Times post and social media posts from November 2025 match those in the viral video, confirming that the clip is unrelated to Iran’s recent missile attacks in Tel Aviv.

Separately, a keyword search yielded a Gulf News report published on Nov 24, 2025, titled “Umm Ramool warehouse fire contained in under 40 minutes by Dubai Civil Defence”.

According to the report, a fire broke out in multiple warehouses located in Dubai’s Umm Ramool area on November 24, 2025.

The fire was contained by Dubai Civil Defence teams in less than 40 minutes following their arrival at the site.

The Umm Ramool fire incident in Dubai was also reported by Khaleej Times on November 24, 2025, with the following headline: “Dubai: Fire breaks out in multiple warehouses; blaze brought under control”.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows fire from an Iranian missile attack in Tel Aviv, Israel, is false.

The clip is from November 2025 and shows a fire in a warehouse in Umm Ramool, Dubai.

EVIDENCE AND REFERENCES:

Nov 25, 2025, Instagram post:
https://archive.md/LC1NT

Nov 25, 2025, Abu Dhabi Times post:
https://archive.md/ci1dW

Nov 25, 2025, Instagram post:
https://archive.md/ryUUH

Nov 25, 2025, Instagram post:
https://archive.md/hHZtn

Nov 24, 2025, Gulf News report:
https://gulfnews.com/uae/emergencies/umm-ramool-warehouse-fire-contained-in-under-40-minutes-by-dubai-civil-defence-1.500358474

Nov 24, 2025, Khaleej Times news report:
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/emergencies/dubai-fire-breaks-out-in-multiple-warehouses-blaze-brought-under-control