FACT CHECK: Image Claims To Show Beirut On Fire After Israeli Airstrikes

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

An image shared on X claims to show the aftermath of Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, Lebanon.

Verdict: False

The image is from Gaza. It is from 2019 and is not related to the current fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Fact Check:

Israel attacked Hezbollah-linked financial branches in targeted airstrikes in Beirut and other locations, according to The New York Times. (RELATED: No, Video Does Not Show Su-24 Shot Down By F-16)

Social media users are claiming to show the effects of those airstrikes. One user wrote, “Israel 🇮🇱 Air Force is attacking Iran-affiliated banks and financial institutions in Beirut right now 👇 Literally billions of dollars of Iran’s money up in flames tonight.”

This claim is false. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the image is from March 2019 and depicts an Israeli strike in Gaza.

“A ball of fire is seen following an Israeli air strike on Gaza city, March 25, 2019. Israel launched air strikes in the Gaza Strip on Monday after a rocket attack near Tel Aviv wounded seven people, prompting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to cut short a visit to the United States,” reads the image description.

BBC Verify reporter Shayan Sardarizadeh also debunked the claim in an Oct. 20 tweet.

“While Israeli strikes on Beirut tonight are very real, this particular image is old and unrelated to tonight’s bombings. It depicts an Israeli strike in Gaza in 2019,” Sardarizadeh tweeted.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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