Amid the recent Iran-Israel conflict, a video has been circulated online with the caption claiming Iran launched a successful attack on the Haifa nuclear power plant.
Watch the video promoted with this claim on Facebook here: Here (Archive), Here (Archive), Here (Archive), Here (Archive), and Here (Archive)
Fact-check
Rumor Scanner Team’s investigation reveals that the video does not show any structure in Israel’s Haifa city being damaged or destroyed by an Iranian attack amid the recent Iran-Israel conflict. Rather, a video that has been online since at least 2015 has been repurposed to support this claim.
During the investigation, a video titled “Massive explosion at Chinese chemical plant” was found on the YouTube channel Crazy China Videos, published on November 18, 2015. A portion of that video matches the one being circulated with the current claim.
The video description states:
“A video of a massive explosion at a chemical plant is circulating across China’s internet. Is it a real disaster being covered up, or a scene from a movie?”
In the comment section, several people shared their opinions that the video appears to be of a controlled explosion or a scripted scene.
Additionally, the same video can be found in a post titled “Chinese chemical plant explosion …” on the YouTube channel Ahmed Treiban, published on November 19, 2015.
The comment section of this video also shows mixed reactions regarding its authenticity.
Later, by searching relevant keywords, the same video was found on the website of Military.com, which publishes news on U.S. military, veteran affairs, foreign policy, and broader national security. It was shared on November 26, 2015, with the caption “Explosion at Chemical Plant in Zhejiang China”.
In summary, the video has been available online for many years, long before the recent Iran-Israel conflict. This confirms that the video is not related to the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.
Moreover, there is no reliable source confirming the existence of any nuclear power plant in the Israeli city of Haifa.
Therefore, a video online since at least 2015 has been falsely circulated as depicting Iran’s successful attack on Israel’s alleged Haifa nuclear power plant during the Iran-Israel conflict. This claim is false.
Sources
- Crazy China Videos: Massive explosion at Chinese chemical plant
- Ahmed Treiban: Chinese chemical plant explosion …
- Military.com: Explosion at Chemical Plant in Zhejiang China
