Fact Check: Videos Falsely Circulated as Showing Recent Destruction in Tel Aviv

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Designates US, Israeli Universities as “Legitimate Targets”

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) issued a stark warning on Sunday, declaring that universities in the region with ties to the United States and Israel would now be considered “legitimate targets.” According to multiple reports, the IRGC justified this escalation as a response to what they described as the destruction of Iranian academic institutions by Washington and Tel Aviv.

The announcement marks a concerning expansion of potential targets in the ongoing tensions between Iran and its adversaries, potentially placing educational institutions in the crosshairs of future conflicts.

As tensions escalate, misinformation has flourished across social media platforms. Numerous videos purportedly showing “massive destruction in Tel Aviv” from Iranian strikes have gone viral, though fact-checking reveals many of these to be misleading or entirely fabricated.

One widely circulated video features aerial footage of destroyed buildings and widespread debris, with captions claiming it depicts current conditions in Tel Aviv. “Drone footage from above documents the massive and extensive destruction over Tel Aviv,” wrote one user on X (formerly Twitter).

However, reverse image searches of key frames from the footage trace the video back to July 2023. The same footage was published by a YouTube channel on July 26, 2023, correctly identifying it as drone footage of destruction in Bakhmut, Ukraine – not Tel Aviv. This attribution was further confirmed by Ukrainian journalist Illia Ponomarenko, who shared the video on July 24, 2023, documenting the devastation caused by Russian attacks on the Ukrainian city.

In another instance of misinformation, a nighttime video showing a car engulfed in flames with firefighters attempting to extinguish the blaze has been shared with captions such as “This is not Gaza, this is Tel Aviv. Iran is delivering eviction notices daily.”

Fact-checking reveals this footage was actually published by Israeli news outlet Arutz Sheva on November 2, 2023. The video shows an incident in Kiryat Shmona, a city in northern Israel near the Lebanese border – not Tel Aviv. The Times of Israel corroborated this in a report published the same day, stating that Hamas had claimed responsibility for firing 12 rockets from Lebanon at Kiryat Shmona, with at least one landing in a shopping area, causing significant damage to cars and a store.

The spread of such misinformation comes at a particularly volatile time in Middle East relations. Iran’s designation of academic institutions as potential military targets represents a troubling escalation that could further complicate diplomatic efforts in the region.

Military analysts note that targeting civilian infrastructure, particularly educational institutions, would constitute a significant violation of international humanitarian law, which prohibits attacks on civilian targets unless they are being used for military purposes.

The IRGC’s announcement has drawn criticism from international education advocacy groups, with many expressing concern about the potential implications for academic freedom and the safety of students and faculty throughout the region.

Regional security experts suggest this rhetoric may be intended more as a deterrent than an imminent threat, but it nevertheless contributes to the heightened state of tension between Iran and its perceived adversaries.

As the situation continues to develop, verification of information becomes increasingly crucial. The viral spread of mislabeled and out-of-context footage from unrelated conflicts underscores the challenges of navigating information during times of geopolitical crisis, when accurate reporting is most essential.