Fact Check: Clip shows 2015 China explosions, not 2025 Iranian attacks on Israel

Footage of two nighttime explosions in the northeastern Chinese city of Tianjin in 2015 has been falsely described by social media users as showing an Iranian strike on the port of Haifa, Israel, during aerial battles between the two regional rivals.
Israel began attacking Iran on June 13, saying it aimed to prevent the country from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has since retaliated with missile and drone strikes on Israel, and says its nuclear programme is peaceful.
"BREAKING: The blast at Haifa Port is set to be remembered in history as one of Iran's most lethal and strategically devastating strikes," a June 14 X post, opens new tab with 1.6 million views captioned the 48-second clip, which shows a large fireball followed by two explosions. On the night of June 15 an Iranian missile barrage struck a residential street in Haifa, which the national emergency services said injured nine people.
On June 16, Israel's Haifa-based Bazan Group said it closed its power station in Haifa Bay after it was significantly damaged by an Iranian attack on June 15, opens new tab, resulting in the death of three employees.
Some Facebook posts, opens new tab falsely described the video as showing Tel Aviv, which has also been hit by Iranian strikes since June 13.
However, the video was filmed in 2015 and shows explosions in Tianjin's industrial zone.
The BBC posted the same video to YouTube, opens new tab and its website, opens new tab on August 14, 2015.
Reuters reported that two enormous explosions on August 12, 2015, ripped through an industrial area in the port city where toxic gas and chemicals were stored, killing 173 people, opens new tab.
Miscaptioned. The clip shows explosions in an industrial area of China's northeastern city of Tianjin in 2015.
This article was produced by the Reuters Fact Check team. Read more about our fact-checking work.

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Learn with AIFact CheckingText to SpeechAI Summary

Related Articles

Telegraph

an hour ago

• Telegraph

Iranian state media use Lego to demonstrate attacks on Israel

Iranian state media has published a video featuring Lego characters launching destructive missile strikes on Israel. The clip, released by a news agency controlled by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard, shows Lego figures of Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu speaking to the Devil before a barrage of missiles rains down on Israeli buildings and citizens. A Lego US president is also shown eating a burger while arguing with the Israeli prime minister. The video is the latest attempt at anti-Western propaganda from Tehran and depicts an Israeli flag burning while Lego figures in other Arabic countries celebrate. 'We're the ones who control the game,' a message at the end of the video says, which was published on social media by Fars, Iran's state-backed news agency. The clip has been published as part of an ongoing propaganda battle between Israel and Iran, as both countries attempt to win support from audiences on social media. Just days ago, an official Israeli government account shared a video on X showing Lego Mossad agents, missiles and warplanes blowing up Iran's nuclear facilities. An Israeli government X account said the video was 'presented by artificial intelligence ... clearly showcasing the precise planning and technological capabilities on the Israeli side'. خططوا لطوفان الأقصى وحصدوا طوفان #إيران. شاهد هذا الفيديو عملية #الأسد_الصاعد يقدمها الذكاء الإصطناعي بلا سردية مسموعة لكن بشكل واضح يستعرض فيها التخطيط الدقيق والقدرات التكنولوجية في الجانب الإسرائيلي والاستخبارات الممتازة التي فاجأت نظام الملالي ودمرت بسرعة هائلة اهداف عسكرية… — إسرائيل بالعربية (@IsraelArabic) June 15, 2025 Both Lego-themed videos were set to the theme song of 'Tehran', a popular Israeli television show about Mossad agents trying to stop Iran from building a nuclear bomb. It is not clear whether AI tools were used to create the videos. Lego has a long-standing anti-war stance. The company's 'product ideas' page, which encourages Lego fans to submit proposals for new sets, bans products related to 'warfare or war vehicles in any modern or present-day situation'. While some of its products feature potentially violent themes, such as the Star Wars universe or fantasy knights, it has steered clear of modern weapons. Opposed to 'glorifying conflicts' The Danish toy company has previously said that its products should 'not be associated with issues that glorify conflicts'. The Lego-inspired videos follow a flood of fake AI images and videos on social media since Israel's first strikes on Iran on June 12. This includes Iranian influencers widely sharing a fake image of a downed Israeli fighter jet, as well as hoax videos depicting bombed-out buildings with the caption 'Doomsday in Tel Aviv'. The Telegraph reported earlier this week that Israel has been targeting Western audiences with adverts on YouTube warning that Europe could be targeted by Iranian nuclear weapons.

The Independent

an hour ago

• The Independent

Iran and Israel continue attacks as diplomatic talks fail

Iran and Israel traded daytime missile attacks on Friday, concluding a week of relentless bombing and escalating tensions. Iran 's foreign minister stated his country would not negotiate with the US as long as Israel continued airstrikes, maintaining Iran 's nuclear program is peaceful. Iranian ballistic missiles struck a building near Haifa, injuring at least 17 people, prompting a warning of revenge from Iran 's religious ruler, Ali Khamenei. Israel reported conducting multiple airstrikes on Iran, targeting industrial sites for missile manufacturing and a research agency linked to potential nuclear device development. Diplomatic talks in Geneva involving Iran, the EU, and the UK showed no breakthrough, with the UK urging Iran to engage in diplomacy with the US within a two-week window.

Reuters

an hour ago

• Reuters

Putin says Russia has told Israel there's no evidence Iran wants nuclear weapons, Sky News Arabia reports

MOSCOW, June 21 (Reuters) - Russia has repeatedly told Israel that there is no evidence Iran is aiming to get nuclear weapons, Sky News Arabia on Saturday quoted Russian President Vladimir Putin as saying in an interview. "Russia, as well as the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency), has never had any evidence that Iran is preparing to obtain nuclear weapons, as we have repeatedly put the Israeli leadership on notice," Sky News Arabia quoted Putin as saying. Russia is ready to support Iran in developing a peaceful nuclear programme, Putin was quoted as saying, adding that Iran has the right to do so. Speaking at an economic forum in St. Petersburg on Friday, Putin said Russia was sharing its ideas on how to stop the bloodshed in the Iran-Israel conflict with both sides. He did not give details of those ideas.