Video from Russia falsely linked to Israel-Hezbollah conflict

What is the claim?

Social media users are circulating a 29-second video depicting a drone hitting what appears to be an industrial site, claiming that the drone in question belongs to Hezbollah and is being used to target oil refineries in the northern region of Palestinian territories allegedly occupied by Israel.

One X (formerly Twitter) user shared this video and wrote, "HEZBOLLAH drones reached the oil refineries in the north of occupied Palestine. Israeli IDF failing to stop these deadly drones." This post has amassed over 14,000 views and more than 600 likes at the time of writing this story. Archived versions of this and other posts can be found here, here, here, here, and here.

Screenshot of viral claims (Source: X/Modified by Logically facts)

However, we found that the video depicts a Ukrainian drone strike on the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia amid the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. It is unrelated to the ongoing escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.

What are the facts?

Through a reverse image search, we found the same footage shared by the news outlet Voice of America on their official YouTube channel. The video (archived here) was shared on July 22, 2024, titled, "Russian officials say Ukrainian drone attack damages oil refinery | VOA News." According to the video description, the Russian officials in the Krasnodar region stated that the Tuapse oil refinery was damaged in a Ukrainian drone attack. The attack resulted in a fire, which was subsequently extinguished later.

We also found a Reuters report dated July 22, 2024, which corroborates that the viral video shows an incident at Russia's Tuapse oil refinery. The report, headlined, "Russia's Tuapse oil refinery damaged in Ukraine drone attack, Russian officials say," also featured screenshots from a video resembling the viral one. The report further states that Ukrainian officials said that the attacks were carried out in retaliation for Russia's attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure. The extent of damage to the refinery was unclear, but Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that the Tuapse oil refinery was still operating a day after the attack.

Reuters uploaded similar footage (archived here) on their official YouTube channel on July 22, 2024.

Comparison showing the original video and the viral video. (Source: Reuters/X/Modified by Logically Facts)

We were able to find similar photos of the oil refinery on Alamy and Getty Images, further corroborating that the video shows an incident in Russia.

Hezbollah-Israel tensions

According to media reports, recent Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 490 people and injured more than 1,600 in Lebanon. The attacks, reportedly the deadliest in the region in decades, have led to thousands of people fleeing to safety. In response, Hezbollah launched a barrage of missiles targeting Israeli air bases amid their war on Hamas, prompting calls from the United Nations and several world leaders for an urgent de-escalation.

Last week, several people were killed and at least 2,750 were injured as a result of explosions involving handheld pagers across Lebanon. The Hezbollah blamed Israel for the pager explosions; however, the Israeli military has not commented on the incident.

The verdict

Social media users have shared a video of a drone attack falsely claiming it shows a Hezbollah drone being used to target oil refineries located in the northern region of the alleged Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. The original video shows a Ukrainian drone strike on the Tuapse oil refinery in Russia during the Russia-Ukraine conflict in July 2024.