A video of a massive smoke and blast went viral on social media claiming it to be the situation in Shorkot Rafiqui Air Base after India’s recent attack.
However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was false. The viral video is old and unrelated to Pakistan. Here’s the fact check.
Fact Check
We started our investigation by taking some screenshots from the viral video and conducting a reverse image. This led us to the website “VoA” where the viral video was uploaded on 5 August 2021. The headline of the report read, “One Year On, Beirut Explosion Seem as Symbol of Defeat and Resistance”. According to the report, the video shows an explosion in the Beirut port on 4 August 2020.
Conducting a relevant keyword search, we found a tweet on the X handle “Al Arabiya English“. The tweet, containing the viral video, read, “The probe into the #Beirut port explosion yields no results as the one-year anniversary of the deadly incident nears. No top officials have been questioned over the disaster so far, further angering many #crisis-weary #Lebanese.”
Similar videos can be seen here, here and here.
This makes it clear that the viral video is an old video from Beirut.
Conclusion
From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The viral video doesn’t show a recent Indian attack on the Shorkot Rafiqui Air Base in Pakistan. It shows an explosion in Beirut port on 4 August 2020.
Title:Old Video From Beirut Port Explosion Shared As India’s Attack On Shorkot Rafiqui Air Base In Pakistan.
Fact Check By: Debanjana BaishyaResult: False
