2023 image passed off as recent attack on Tel Aviv

What is the claim?

An image showing vehicles burning in the middle of the road with debris lying around has gone viral on social media incorrectly claiming that it shows a recent attack in Tel Aviv. 

A user on X shared the image with the caption, "Tel Aviv last night. If you burn us you will burn with us too (sic)." Archive versions of similar posts can be found here, here, here and here. 

This claim was also shared on the social media platform Bluesky, and an archive can be found here.

Screenshot of the claims made online (Source: X/Modified by LogicallyFacts)

The claim emerged after Lebanon-based militant group Hezbollah launched an attack on Israel's military bases in Tel Aviv on November 13, 2024. There has been an ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah; tensions escalated after Hezbollah commanders, including Hassan Nasrallah, were reportedly killed by Israel in September 2024.

However, the image is old and shows an attack by Hamas on Kiryat Shmona city in Israel, not Tel Aviv.

What are the facts?

Through a reverse image search, Logically Facts found that the image has been available online since November 2023 and was not captured in Tel Aviv.

We found the viral image was shared by Israel-based reporter Emanuel Fabian in an X post on November 2, 2023 (archived here). The post's caption read, "MDA says two wounded in the rocket impact in Kiryat Shmona, including a 25-year-old in moderate condition due to shrapnel and a 40-year-old in light condition as a result of the blast. Fire and Rescue Services photos of the impact."

Screenshot of the Emanuel Fabian's post (Source:X)

Further research led us to a Jerusalem Post report published on November 2, 2023, which published the now-viral image with the caption: "Car burns in Kiriyat Shmona after rockets hit the city, November 2, 2023." The photo was credited to Northern District Fire and Rescue Services. According to the report, rocket barrages were fired at Israel, and Kiryat Shmona is one of the places hit. The report adds that Hamas took responsibility for the attack.

Other news organizations, such as Yemen News Agency and Al Mayadeen, also published the now-viral image, stating it was an attack in Kiryat Shmona.

Logically Facts was able to geolocate the location in the viral image to Kiryat Shmona in the northern district of Israel. We also found recent Google images which prove that the location in the viral image is not Tel Aviv but Kiryat Shmona.

A comparison of viral image with an image on Google Maps (Source: Google Maps/X)

The verdict

The image of a Hamas rocket attack on Kiryat Shmona, a city in Israel, in November 2023 has been shared with the misleading claim that it is from Tel Aviv.