Old, unrelated video shared as 'device exploding in Hezbollah fighter's pocket’

What’s the claim?

As Lebanon faced two waves of explosions that left at least 32 dead and thousands injured, a video surfaced on social media, purportedly showing a communication device detonating in the pocket of a Hezbollah (Iran-backed militant group) operative. The footage captures smoke billowing from a man’s pocket as he removes something and throws it away.

A user on X (formerly Twitter) shared the clip, stating, “A communication device belonging to a Hezbollah member suddenly exploded in his pocket in Lebanon, with what looks like another wave of Israel mass hacking of Hezbollah gadgets/assets in Beirut.” Archived versions of the posts can be found here and here.

Screenshot of claims made online. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this video actually dates back to 2012.

What we found

Through a reverse image search of keyframes from the viral clip, Logically Facts identified a news report by Forbes published on July 5, 2012. The report included a still from the video, stating that it showed an iPhone exploding in a 17-year-old's pocket.

Screenshot of the Forbes report carrying the still from the viral clip. (Source: Forbes)

Following this lead, we found a 2012 Finnish news report by Ilta-Sanomat featuring the same video. According to the report, the incident took place in Pori, a city in southwestern Finland, on the morning of July 2, 2012. It also included an interview with Henri Helminen, whose iPhone ignited. 

Helminen explained that his phone was in his back pocket. As he got out of his car, he heard a hissing sound and noticed smoke. He removed the phone from his pocket and threw it, realizing it was on fire. The report added that a portion of his pants was also singed.

Other Finnish news outlets covered the incident at the time, confirming that the video featured a Finnish man. Sky News Arabia also shared the same video on YouTube (archived here) that year.

It’s worth noting that none of the visuals of the recent device explosions in Lebanon (see here and here) show any devices catching fire before exploding (archived here and here).

The Lebanon explosions

In the aftermath of the blasts on September 17 and 18 in Lebanon, the regional situation remains precarious. These incidents involved the explosion of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members, resulting in approximately 32 deaths and thousands of injuries among the group’s fighters. 

Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the explosions and vowed to retaliate. While Israel has not commented on the incidents, the circumstances surrounding the blasts remain unclear, heightening tensions in the area.

The verdict

The claim linking an old video of a smartphone explosion to the recent device blasts in Lebanon is false. The footage originates from a 2012 incident in Pori, Finland, where a phone caught fire in a man’s pocket.