Fact check: A viral video shared as proof of Iranian missiles striking Haifa on June 7, 2026, actually shows a deadly Hong Kong residential fire from November 26, 2025. Inmedia first posted the footage, and AFP confirmed the blaze killed 168 people and consumed seven of eight towers. Reverse-image searches and Google Street View verified the location, while the clip was widely miscaptioned across social platforms.
Viral Video Of Blazing Towers Misattributed To Iran’s Attack On Israel — Footage Is From Hong Kong Fire
Screenshot of the false post taken on June 11 with a red X mark added by AFP
A widely shared video claiming to show Iranian missiles striking Haifa on June 7, 2026, is incorrectly labeled. The footage actually captures a deadly residential fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on November 26, 2025. Verification by reverse-image searches and location checks confirm the clip was repurposed to depict events in Israel amid renewed exchanges of fire.
Screenshot comparison of the false post (L) and Inmedia video
What The Viral Clip Really Shows
Reverse-image searches located the same video on the Instagram account of Hong Kong outlet Inmedia, posted on 26 November 2025. The original caption referenced a "Level 5 alarm" at Wang Fuk Court — the Hong Kong Fire Services Department’s highest response level. AFP and other outlets reported that the blaze killed 168 people and engulfed seven of eight residential towers in the complex, making it the deadliest residential building fire globally since 1980.
Screenshot comparison of the false video (L) and an image from Google Maps Street View from March 2024, with the same elements highlighted by AFP
How The Clip Was Misused
On June 8, 2026, a TikTok post overlaid bold text claiming "Haifa rocked by massive explosions as Iranian missiles strike northern Israel" and included the Hong Kong footage. The clip circulated across platforms, including TikTok, X and Facebook (notably on the India-based page Kaler Barta, whose watermark appears on some copies). The video was shared in multiple languages and presented as footage of Haifa following missile strikes on June 7, 2026 — an exchange that did take place between Iran and Israel earlier that month.
Verification Steps
- Reverse-image searches linked the clip to Inmedia’s November 26, 2025, post.
- Press agencies, including AFP, published photographs and reports from the Hong Kong blaze confirming the location and death toll.
- Google Maps Street View for Tai Po shows the same buildings and road signs visible in the video, corroborating the Hong Kong location.
Context
The misattributed video circulated amid renewed hostilities: Iran launched missiles at Israel on June 7, 2026, reportedly in retaliation for an Israeli strike on Beirut. Diplomatic developments followed, with a June 17 deal announced by U.S. and Iranian leaders aimed at ending the wider conflict and reopening key shipping routes; Lebanon was included in the discussions. Nevertheless, false or repurposed footage has continued to complicate public understanding of developments on the ground.
Bottom line: The viral clip does not show damage in Haifa from an Iranian strike. It documents a tragic Hong Kong residential fire from November 2025 that was later misrepresented and widely shared during the June 2026 Israel–Iran exchanges.
Help us improve.
