Unrelated video from Yemen shared as recent Hezbollah attack on Israeli air base

What's the claim?

An eight-second video has been widely circulating on social media with the claim that it shows explosions inside Israel's Ramat David airforce base in Haifa, purportedly caused by rockets launched from Lebanon. In the footage, a white car is visible among other vehicles in the foreground, while bright flames and thick smoke rise into the night sky, set against an urban backdrop with buildings visible. 

On September 17, 2024, tensions between Israel and Hezbollah escalated after pagers and other electronic devices belonging to Hezbollah members in Lebanon exploded simultaneously leading to dozens of deaths and thousands of injuries. On September 21, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching dozens of missiles at Israel's David air base, east of Haifa, in retaliation for Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

On X (formerly Twitter) different captions such as, "While you were sleeping last night, Hezbollah did this to Israel" and "#BREAKING Israel: Explosions inside Israel army's Ramat David base in Haifa due to rockets launched from Lebanon" accompanied the video in posts published on September 22, with further claims suggesting multiple rockets hit military targets in central "occupied Palestine."

Archived versions of the posts can be found here, here, here, and here.

Screenshots of some of the social media content that posted the viral video. (Source: X/Modified by Logically Facts)

However, this video actually shows an explosion at a gas station in Aden, Yemen, on August 30, 2024, and is clearly unrelated to the recent escalation of the conflict between Israel and Lebanon following the pager blasts. 

What did we find?

We found that the viral video has a text overlay in Hebrew language which translates to: "This time it's not about us: a gas explosion at a gas station in the city of Aden in Yemen."

A reverse image search led to an extended version of the same video posted by CGTN Europe Breaking News (archived here) on August 31, 2024, with the caption: "Loud explosions shook Aden, Yemen, overnight, with a major blast occurring at a gas station in the southern city. The explosion ignited a large fire, claiming the lives of at least five people and injuring 13 others. The cause of the blast remains unknown."

Ynet News also reported on August 31 about the massive explosion in Aden, describing how it rocked the southern city, killing at least five and injuring 13. The fire, which spread to nearby gas tanks and shops, occurred on one of the busiest streets, added the report which included visuals from the viral clip and additional clips of the explosion.

Other news organizations like Yemen Online, Anadolu Ajansı, and Mehr News Agency too have covered the explosion at the gas station in Aden. The reports quote local sources to confirm that there were multiple casualties.

Furthermore, on August 31, the Yemeni Council on Foreign Relations reported that Prime Minister Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak visited the site to assess the aftermath of the explosion and ordered an urgent investigation. The incident was attributed to a tanker explosion at a gas station located at the Hashid intersection on Ninety Street in Al-Mansoura.

Attack on Ramat David Airforce base 

On September 21, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for launching multiple rockets at Israel's David air base, located east of Haifa. The attack was said to be a retaliation for recent Israeli strikes, reported Al Jazeera.

News outlets like Al Jazeera English (archived here) aired footage of the attack, while BBC News (archived here) reported unverified video allegedly showing a fire in a residential area near the air base at Haifa caused by a Hezbollah rocket. Agence France-Presse News (archived here) agency also posted a video on its YouTube channel showing the aftermath of multiple rocket attacks in northern Israel on September 22. None of these visuals matched with the viral clip. 

The verdict

While the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon has intensified, and there are reports about rockets from Lebanon striking locations near the Ramat David Airbase in Haifa, the viral video actually shows an unrelated explosion at a gas station in Aden, Yemen, that took place in August 2024. It is unrelated to the recent escalation of conflict between Israel and Lebanon.