Old Video Of A Bus Station Fire In Safed Going Viral As The Recent Iranian Attack On Israel.

A video of buses catching fire went viral on social media, claiming it to be the footage of Tel Aviv after being hit by  Kamikaze drone barrage. Sharing the video on Facebook, users wrote, “Tel Aviv now on fire after being hit by Kamikaze drone barrage”.

Facebook Link | Archived Link.

Similar posts can be seen here and here. Archived Link.

However, as we investigated, we came to know that the claim was false. The viral video is old and not related to the recent attack on Israel. Here’s the fact check.

Fact Check 

We started our investigation by taking some screenshots from the viral video and conducting a reverse image search. This led us to a news report published on 11 June 2022. The news report contained a photograph similar to the screenshots of the viral video. According to the report, “A fire broke out at the bus station in Safed, a city in the northern part of Israel, during the night. Firefighters who arrived at the scene made great efforts to control the flames and protect other parked buses”.

Please read here. Archived Link.

Taking this clue, we conducted a relevant keyword search that led us to a report published in “The Times Of Israel” on 11 June 2022. The report also contained a similar photo as the screenshot of the viral video. 

According to the report, “Eighteen buses were destroyed when they were torched in the early hours of Saturday morning in the northern city of Safed, in a suspected attack linked to criminal demands for the payment of protection money.

A number of other vehicles were damaged in the attack at the central bus station. There were no injuries.

Sixteen of the buses belonged to the Afifi transportation company based in Nazareth. The other two destroyed vehicles belonged to Netiv Express, which is part of the same group…”

Please read here. Archived Link.

Moving forward, we found a video uploaded on a YouTube channel on 12 June 2022. From the timestamp 0:18, the viral video could be seen. The description of the video read, “18 buses in Safed caught fire early in the morning, while they were parked at the central station in the city. The police suspect that this is an arson in the context of an attempt to collect sponsorship fees. The fire tonight joins a long chain of cases in the north that are related to the activity of criminal elements in the area…”

Another similar report can be read here. 

From this, it’s clear that the viral video is old and not related to the recent Iranian attack on Israel.

Conclusion 

From our investigation, we can say that the claim is false. The video is old. It shows a fire in the bus station in Safed that destroyed 18 buses in June 2022. This has no link to the recent Iranian attack on Israel.