Claim: Video shows a building in Tel Aviv on fire after an Iranian air strike.
Fact: The viral clip is from a fire at a gas station in Syria in April 2025.
On 16 March 2026, X user @HarmeetSinghPK shared a video showing a massive blaze, writing, “کل رات ایرانی حملوں کے نتیجے میں Tel Aviv میں آگ کے شعلے بھڑک اٹھے ہیں اور شہر کے مختلف حصوں میں آگ اور دھماکوں کی خبریں سامنے آ رہی ہیں۔”
[Translation: Last night, flames flared up in Tel Aviv as a result of Iranian attacks, and reports of fires and explosions are emerging in various parts of the city.]
US-Israel war with Iran
On 28 February 2026, the US and Israel launched coordinated airstrikes across multiple locations in Iran, reportedly targeting military installations and strategic infrastructure. The attacks marked a dramatic escalation in regional tensions and triggered a broader conflict between Iran and US and Israel. In the opening hours of the campaign, a missile strike destroyed the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls’ elementary school in Minab in southern Iran. The strike occurred during school hours and caused the collapse of the building’s roof, killing at least 165 people, mostly schoolchildren, and injuring dozens more. Investigations by international journalists and open-source analysts later indicated that the strike was likely caused by a US Tomahawk missile aimed at a nearby military facility.
Following the airstrikes, Iran retaliated with missile and drone attacks against US military bases and infrastructure across the Gulf, including installations in countries hosting American forces. The conflict has also spread to Israeli territory through Iranian missile launches. Over 1,300 have died in Iran while US forces have reported at least 13 military personnel killed during the escalation. The fighting has also displaced millions of civilians, damaged infrastructure across several parts of the region, and caused air travel disruptions around the world.
Iran has also sought to exert economic pressure by disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz – one of the world’s most critical oil transit routes through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas shipments pass. Disruptions in the strait have therefore triggered a sharp increase in global oil prices and heightened volatility in energy markets. For Pakistan, which relies heavily on imported fuel from Gulf suppliers, the surge in oil prices has had immediate economic consequences. Rising global prices have already contributed to increases in domestic petrol and diesel prices, while economists warn that prolonged disruptions could widen Pakistan’s trade deficit, place additional pressure on the rupee, and intensify inflation in an already fragile economic environment.
On 14 March 2026, regional actors initiated efforts to broker a ceasefire between Iran, the US, and Israel, reported Reuters. However, these efforts stalled as Iran rejected the possibility of a ceasefire unless US and Israeli strikes were halted first. On 23 March 2026, the US announced a five-day pause on strikes targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure to facilitate diplomatic engagement. However, Israeli military operations continued and no formal ceasefire agreement was reached.
By 24 March 2026, discussions around a temporary cessation of hostilities began. The US claimed that the pause was a part of negotiations. However, Iran publicly denied that any formal talks or ceasefire agreements were in place while missile exchanges between Iran and Israel continued.
Pakistan has emerged as a potential key intermediary in the negotiation efforts. Islamabad is actively facilitating communication between Washington and Tehran and offered to host potential peace talks. Pakistan, along with countries such as Türkiye and Egypt, has been relaying messages and exploring the possibility of negotiations in Islamabad. However, no direct talks between the US and Iran have been confirmed.
As of 25 March 2026, there is no confirmed, fully implemented ceasefire between the parties.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check first searched for the logo on the viral clip, which reads: “الحدث”, which translates to “the event”. We traced it to the website AlHadath.net, which is an Arabic news organisation based in Saudi Arabia. While we could not locate the exact footage on Al Hadath’s social media channels, we found extended footage with keyframes matching the viral clip. It was shared on 23 April 2025 with the caption: “ألسنة اللهب تصاعدت في الهواء.. حريق ضخم اندلع بمحطة وقود في مدينة الباب شمال سوريا
#الباب
#سوريا
#الحدث”
[Translate: Flames rose into the air… a massive fire broke out at a fuel station in the city of Al-Bab in northern Syria.
#AlBab
#Syria
#AlHadath]
Comparison of visuals from the viral clip and Al Hadath footage
Subsequently, a reverse-image search led us to a post from 23 April 2025 by Syrian Radio Taif on Facebook. The footage includes some visuals matching the viral clip. It was captioned: “اندلاع حريق ضخم في كازية “البوشي” بمدينة الباب شرقي حلب
#سوريا #راديو_طيف #سوريا_حرة”
[Translation: “A massive fire broke out at the “Al-Boushi” fuel station in the city of Al-Bab, east of Aleppo.
#Syria #RadioTaif #FreeSyria”]
Comparison of visuals from the viral clip and Radio Taif footage
We found another clip shared by Arabic news outlet “رصد الأخبار” on 23 April 2025 captioned: “اندلاع حريق كبير في محطة المحروقات بمدينة #الباب في حلب، حيث تعمل الآن فرق الطوارئ والإطفاء على إخماد الحريق.
تمدد الحريق إلى الأبنية والسيارات المحيطة وإصابة عدد من طواقم الاطفاء بسبب قوة الحريق..
#الباب”
[Translation: “A large fire broke out at a fuel station in the city of Al-Bab in Aleppo, where emergency and firefighting teams are currently working to extinguish it.
The fire has spread to nearby buildings and vehicles, and several firefighting crew members have been injured due to the intensity of the blaze.
#AlBab”]
The visuals in this footage also matched some of the frames in the viral clip.
Comparison of visuals from the viral clip and رصد الأخبار footage
The results from reverse-image search were all from the same date. Additionally, the similarities between the footage identified from credible Arab news outlets and the viral clip indicate that the video actually shows a fire in Aleppo in April 2025, and not the aftermath of an Iranian strike in Tel Aviv during the ongoing conflict.
To further verify, we conducted a keyword search using terms such as “Al-Bab,” “fire,” “Aleppo,” and “Syria.” This led us to reports from Syria 24 and Enab Baladi confirming that a fire broke out on the evening of 22 April 2025 at a fuel station in the city of Al-Bab, east of Aleppo, and spread to nearby homes and warehouses.
Enab Baladi’s report cited the Syrian Civil Defense as saying, 28 people were injured in the fire, including two who were in a critical condition and four women. Four firefighters suffered from shortness of breath and exhaustion due to the intense smoke and heat despite adhering to safety protocols.
While the reports did not include videos of the incident, the details they provided matched the captions of the posts identified through reverse-image search.
Virality
The clip was shared here, here, here, and here on Facebook. Archived here, here, here, and here.
On X, it was shared here (archive).
On Instagram, it was shared here (archive).
Conclusion: The viral clip does not show a fire in Tel Aviv in the aftermath of an Iranian strike. The video shows a fire at a gas station in Aleppo, Syria in April 2025.
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Background image in cover photo:
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