Claim: A video shows a swarm of crows in Tel Aviv amid the ongoing war between US-Israel and Iran.
Fact: The viral video appeared online as early as 3 April 2024 and was widely shared then in the context of a crow swarm in Texas.
A video showing a swarm of crows in a parking lot has been shared online with the following caption: “اسرائیل کی فضاؤں میں کالے کوؤں کا راج وائرل ویڈیو نے دنیا بھر میں ہلچل مچا دی”
[Translation: Black crows rule Israeli skies. Viral video stirs worldwide frenzy.]
Pakistani news outlets such as Bol News and GTV also broadcasted the viral clip reporting that the clip had emerged from Tel Aviv.
Turkish news outlet Yeni Safak also featured the viral clip in a Facebook post on 26 March 2026, which was captioned: “Thousands of crows were seen flying in large swarms over Tel Aviv’s skyline, creating a dark, swirling mass above central buildings such as the Azrieli Towers, and video of the scene quickly went viral on social media.
The black crows that fill the skies of Tel Aviv are, according to esotericism experts, possibly harbingers of the Zionist order, whose time is up and which awaits burial. In esoteric belief, crows come to punish what remains when the order collapses. Crows are said to sense the scent of death and fear. According to some Bible and Torah scholars, crows will be a sign of the end of Israel.”
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.
“At least 1,443 people have been killed in Iran, including 217 children since the conflict began on 28 February, according to figures compiled by the rights group HRANA.” The fighting has also displaced millions of civilians, damaged infrastructure across several parts of the region, and caused air travel disruptions around the world. As of 25 March, “Israel’s Health Ministry said that at least 5,165 people have been injured in Iranian attacks since late last month.”
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.
The conflict has also involved maritime incidents, notably the sinking of the Iranian warship Iris Dena on 4 March in international waters off Sri Lanka’s southern coast. According to the BBC, “Indian Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said Iran had sought permission for three of its ships to dock at Indian ports on 28 February – the day the US and Israel began a war on Iran – and permission was granted by India on 1 March.” Iris Dena had at least 130 members on board and was struck by a US submarine, resulting in the deaths of 87 of those members. The submarine that sank IRIS Dena fired a torpedo and “left the area without conducting search and rescue operations,” leaving the Sri Lankan Navy to recover survivors and bodies alone. The incident marked an escalation beyond air and missile exchanges. It raised concerns about the widening scope of the war and its implications for regional security and shipping routes.
Negotiation efforts
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 Israel halted strikes. On 23 March 2026, the US announced a five-day pause on strikes targeting Iran’s energy infrastructure, claiming it would facilitate diplomatic engagement, but Israeli military operations have continued.
By 24 March, discussions around a temporary cessation of hostilities began. However, Iran publicly denied any formal talks or ceasefire agreements while missile exchanges between Iran and Israel continued.
Pakistan has since emerged as a key intermediary in the negotiation efforts and actively facilitated communication between Washington and Tehran. Along with countries such as Türkiye and Egypt, Pakistan has been relaying messages and exploring the possibility of negotiations in Islamabad. However, no direct talks between the US and Iran have been confirmed.
Iran has rejected the ceasefire proposal forwarded to it through intermediary parties with Iranian state media citing senior officials who described the US plan as “one‑sided and unfair.” Tehran has instead outlined its own set of five conditions for ending the conflict, which it says must be met before it considers negotiations or a ceasefire agreement. These conditions include demands for a complete halt to all hostilities and assassinations by the opposing side, the establishment of guarantees preventing the resumption of war, payment of war damages and reparations to Iran, the end of fighting across all fronts and allied groups throughout the region, and international recognition of Iran’s sovereign authority over the Strait of Hormuz.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check reverse-searched keyframes of the viral clip to trace its original source. We found the video shared on Instagram as early as 3 April 2024. A user @beasty_1985 captioned it saying, “What are they?”. However, the post did not specify the location.
The same clip was shared again on 4 April 2024 as part of a longer video featuring the cartoon Naruto where it was labelled “TEXAS CROWS !!!”. This post also did not provide any details about the incident or where it was filmed.
On 6 April 2024, the clip appeared again with the caption: “Thousands of crows swamp a supermarket in Texas! WHY????”. Another extended video, shared on 15 April 2024, included the clip alongside other footage and was captioned: “Crow Swarm In Texas: A Scary Sight To Encounter.”
The repeated circulation of the clip in April 2024, with some posts linking it to Texas, indicates that it is not related to any recent events in Tel Aviv.
To confirm, Soch Fact Check conducted a keyword search using terms such as “crow swarm,” “Texas,” and “supermarket.” While we did not find verified reports from April 2024 matching the exact clip, we found news coverage from January 2024 about hundreds of birds descending on a parking lot in Cypress, a suburb of Houston in Texas.
The incident was recorded and shared on TikTok by user Yvonne Gomez. She described the scene as resembling something “straight out of an Alfred Hitchcock movie” noting that the birds did not disperse even when she honked her car.
The Fox Weather report further noted that the birds seen in the video are great-tailed grackles, a species commonly found in urban and tree-filled environments. They are particularly widespread in Houston and gather in parking lots of shopping centers and fast-food restaurants with abundant food and many perches.
Although the footage in these reports does not match the viral clip, there are visual similarities, such as the presence of cars with white number plates, suggesting that the viral video may have been filmed during a similar incident in Texas if not the same one.
Visual similarities in the two videos
Virality
The viral clip was shared here, here, here, here, and here on Facebook. Archived here, here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The viral clip initially appeared online as early as 3 April 2024 and was widely shared in the context of a crow swarm in Texas.
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