Video footage of a massive explosion posted online claims to show a Hezbollah strike on an Israeli base.
This is false. The footage is seven years old and shows a fire at a petrochemical plant in China.
The Facebook posts, such as here and here (screenshot here), claim Hezbollah guided missiles hit an Israeli base.
There have been rocket attacks across the Lebanon-Israel border since Israel’s war in Gaza began in October 2023.
Hezbollah is a Shi’ite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has said that the group’s cross-border shelling into Israel would only end when Israel’s “aggression” on the Gaza Strip stops.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) struck a Hezbollah arms depot inside Lebanon on February 19, following a drone attack in Israel’s north hours earlier.
But the explosion in the Facebook posts does not involve Hezbollah or the IDF.
The footage appeared on Facebook seven years ago in a report from China’s People’s Daily, linking it to a fire at a petrochemical plant in the northeast of the country. The post is dated August 17, 2017.
“Video showing fire broken out near a petrochemical plant in Dalian, northeast China’s Liaoning Province on Thurs; Firefighters are at the scene. Investigation is underway,” text on the post reads.
Reuters reported the fire was at state oil major PetroChina’s plant in northeastern China, one of the country’s largest refineries. More than 600 firefighters were needed to extinguish the blaze.
AAP FactCheck has debunked multiple social media posts purporting to show video footage from the current Middle East conflict – examples here, here, here and here.
The Verdict
The claim video footage shows a Hezbollah attack on an Israeli base is false.
The video is from a 2017 fire at a petrochemical plant in northeastern China.
False — The claim is inaccurate.
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