A video compilation of a fire at A Residential complex in Spain has again spread reports of an Iranian attack on Israel. It surfaced shortly after Ismail Haniyehthe political leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, was assassinated in the Iranian capital TehranWhile Israel has neither confirmed nor denied any role in the killing, Iran and its regional allies have vowed revenge over Haniyeh’s death.
“This is what Iran’s relentless assault on Israel looks like,” read the Indonesian text overlay on a SnackVideo posted on August 3, 2024.
The compilation contained two clips. The first shows people looking at a burning building, while the other clip shows the burning building being viewed from what appears to be a balcony.
“Even Israelis begged for mercy from Iran to stop the attack,” the text continues.
The video was shared along with similar claims elsewhere on SnackVideo here, hereAnd here.
The reports surfaced after the dead from Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on July 31 in Tehran.
According to the Revolutionary Guards, Haniyeh was attending the inauguration ceremony of Masud Pezeshkian when he was killed by a “short-range projectile” fired from outside his residence.
Although Israel has not admitted killing Haniyeh, Iran and I haveThe allies have vowed to strike back. There is no official report of such an attack until August 8, 2024.
Hamas has now appointed a new leader: Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind behind the October 7 attack on Israel. Hostilities in the region threaten to escalate as the war in Gaza enters its eleventh month.
But the clips, shot in Spain, have nothing to do with the simmering tensions between Iran and Israel.
Valencia fire
A reverse search on Google turned up several videos of a house fire in the Spanish Mediterranean port city of Valencia, including this a verified by news agency Storyful (archived here).
AFP later discovered similar verified images in the archives of social media user Aymeric Cesbron of the same burning apartment complex in February 2024.
AFP reported Ten people died after fire destroyed a 14-storey apartment building and an adjacent 10-storey block in the western Campanar district. Authorities said the fire was likely caused by a faulty electrical appliance.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the fake post (left) and the AFP verified video (right):
Google Maps Street footage shows that elements in the video match the apartment complex in Valencia (archived here).
Below you can see a screenshot of the video in the fake messages (left) and Google Maps Street View of the apartment complex in Valencia (right):
A reverse search for the second clip produced a similar result video posted on YouTube on February 23, 2024 with a Spanish caption that reads “fire in Valencia” (archived link).
Streetview on Google Maps shows the building located opposite the fire location has a balcony that resembles the balcony in the false pole (archived link):
AFP has debunked other disinformation about the Iran-Israel conflict here And here.
