Old image from Moscow misrepresented as attack in Tel Aviv

What is the claim?

An image is being circulated on social media alongside false claims it shows an attack in Tel Aviv, Israel. The image circulating on X (formerly Twitter), posted on October 8, 2024, shows a burning building in a city at night, with huge flames and smoke reaching the sky.

Sharing the image, one user wrote, “⚠️⭕️ Tel Aviv is lit up in flames 🔥.” One such post had received 3,700 likes and over 43,000 views at the time of writing this story. Archived versions of such posts can be found here, here, and here. 

Screenshots of social media posts. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, the claim is false. The viral image was captured in March 2024 and shows an attack at Crocus City Hall in Moscow, Russia.

How did we find the truth?

A reverse image search on the viral image showed that several Russian media outlets had published it in March 2024, reporting it shows an attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue in northwest Moscow, Russia. 

According to a report by the Russian state-owned media organization RIA Novosti dated March 22, 2024, at least three individuals in camouflage opened fire at the city hall, throwing grenades and bombs, which caused the fire. The report included several videos showing the building on fire from different angles.

RIA Novosti report stating that the image shows an attack in Moscow, Russia. (Source: RIA Novosti/Screenshot)

Lenta.ru also published the same image and reported that the incident took place before a concert by the band Piknik on March 22. A Ukrainian website called Euromaidan Press also published the image, stating the same. 

The BBC reported on March 24 that gunmen entered Crocus City Hall in Moscow, opened fire, and then set it on fire. At least 137 people were killed, and over 140 were injured. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack, later releasing a graphic clip of the incident. The report also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that all four gunmen involved in the attack were arrested.

The verdict

An old image of an attack on Crocus City Hall in Russia has been shared with the false claim it shows a building burning in Tel Aviv amid a barrage of rockets fired at the city by Hamas on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks.