Amid the tensions between Iran and Israel, a video of an explosion went viral on social media claiming it to be an Iranian attack on the Nuclear reactor plant of Israel. Sharing the video, a user wrote, “BREAKING:Israel’s Nuclear reactor power plant has been DESTROYED by multiple Iranian ballistic missiles, leaking radioactive material.”
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However, upon investigation, we discovered that the claim was misleading. The viral video is old which has been available on the internet since March 2017. Here’s the fact check.
Fact Check
We started our investigation by taking screenshots from the viral video and conducting a reverse image search. This led us to a longer version of the video uploaded on a YouTube channel on March 26, 2017.
The description of the video read, “Two people have been injured as a result of explosions in artillery warehouses of the Ministry of Defense near Balaklia, Kharkiv region, the National Police of Ukraine in the Kharkiv region has said.”
We found another video on a YouTube channel on March 23, 2017, which contained the viral clip.
The translation of the description of the video reads, “Ukraine’s Balakliya is burning, and an ammunition depot is exploding. The base burns. Tonight, an act of sabotage occurred at the country’s largest ammunition depot in Balakliya, Kharkiv Oblast. The fire at the military depot in Balakliya started around 3:00 a.m. The ammunition stored there began to detonate rapidly. Rescuers say all explosions are occurring in the arsenal’s technical area, but isolated instances of shrapnel are observed.”
According to reports, on March 23, 2017, the Ukrainian armed forces’ biggest ammunition depot, near Balakliya, was rocked by a series of massive explosions of unknown origin, although deliberate sabotage is one of the suspected causes. Ukrainian authorities evacuated approximately 20,000 residents from the city and surrounding areas and closed the airspace within a 50-kilometre radius.
This makes it clear that the viral video is old and unrelated to the ongoing tensions between Iran and Israel.
Moreover, as of now, no credible reports or official statements have stated a recent Iranian attack on Israel’s Nuclear reactor plant.
Conclusion
From our investigation, we can say that the claim is misleading. The viral video doesn’t show any recent Iranian attack on Israel’s Nuclear reactor plant. The video is old. According to some reports, the video shows explosions at an ammunition depot in Balakliya, Ukraine, in March 2017.
Title:Old Unrelated Video Shared As An Iranian Missile Attack On Israel’s Nuclear Reactor Plant.
Fact Check By: Debanjana BaishyaResult: Misleading
