Last updated on March 30th, 2026
Editor's Note
Since March 2026, amid the escalating conflict which erupted following U.S.-Israeli military strikes on Iran, several non-authoritative accounts have been posting large volumes of information labeled as “breaking news” on social media platforms. Fact-checking has revealed that multiple X (formerly Twitter) accounts have systematically produced and disseminated false information about the conflict through tactics such as cross-regional footage repurposing, contextual misrepresentation, and the use of multiple language versions. The two misleading posts examined below exhibit such patterns and are fact-checked as follows:
Claim
1.On March 21, 2026, X user @IranNewsX_ posted a video showing a large explosion occurring over an industrial building located near a river. The user captioned the post: “BREAKING NEWS: Iran initiates strikes on Israel. Ya Allah, grant victory to those You will, as You did during the Battle of Badr in Ramadan, Ameen 😊 Eid Mubarak 🎉🎉🎉” As of the time of review, the post had received over 210,000 views.
2.On March 22, 2026, X user @Ysf34A posted a thread containing a video, claiming that an Israeli aircraft had been shot down by an Iranian missile. The video featured Arabic subtitles stating: “An Israeli plane crashes in the UAE after being hit by an Iranian missile.” The caption was in Turkish, which translates to: “An aircraft belonging to Israel was hit by a surface-to-air missile launched from Iran while attempting an emergency landing at Dubai Airport, and subsequently crashed in the UAE.” The post had received over 320,000 views.
Fact Check
1.“Iran Strikes Israel”
1）Source Tracing
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video revealed that it was first published on March 6, 2026, by the Thai local media outlet แปดริ้วซิตี้ on YouTube. The footage depicts a major fire at a paint factory in Thailand’s Chachoengsao Province.
2）Detail Comparison
The original video published by Thai local media outlet แปดริ้วซิตี้ on YouTube has a total duration of 12 minutes and 43 seconds. The first 19 seconds of footage are consistent with the video posted by X user @IranNewsX_ on March 21. A comparison shows that details in the two videos—including the thick black smoke, a glowing orange fireball explosion, motorcycles parked nearby, the surrounding green vegetation, and the movement patterns of individuals—are identical.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95_W19DhPHU
https://x.com/KhaosodEnglish/status/2030115558965043309
https://en.thairath.co.th/news/local/2918382
3）Account Analysis
The account @IranNewsX_ has 4,566 followers, and the post it published received over 210,000 views. Its name and bio both explicitly state “Parody account.” There is no evidence to suggest that it is an official Iranian news media account.
2.“Israeli Aircraft Shot Down by Iranian Missile”
A reverse image search of keyframes from the video revealed that the footage first appeared on November 21, 2025, documenting the fatal crash of an Indian Air Force (IAF) HAL Tejas fighter jet during a performance at the Dubai Airshow in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Indian media outlets NDTV and The Darjeeling Chronicle both reported on the incident on the same day. Among them, the video published by The Darjeeling Chronicle is highly consistent with the video posted by X user @Ysf34A.
2）Detail Comparison：
The original video published by The Darjeeling Chronicle is 9 seconds long and features the subtitle “tragic” at the beginning. The video posted by @Ysf34A is 18 seconds long, consisting of a loop of the original footage, with a subtitle added between 2 and 9 seconds that translates to “Iran shoots down Israeli aircraft.” A comparison shows that details in the two videos—including the white pole, airport fencing, aircraft appearance, explosion smoke, and vocal exclamations in the audio—are identical.
3）Official statement related to Airports in Dubai
No official media or authoritative source has reported any missile attack on a Dubai airport causing an aircraft crash. Since the conflict began, only two official statements have been issued regarding airports in Dubai: one on February 28, 2026, when Dubai‘s Airports were temporarily closed during missile interceptions; and another on March 16, 2026, when a fuel tank near the airport was hit by a drone, causing a fire.
4) Account Analysis
The account @Ysf34A has over 80,000 followers and posts exclusively in Turkish, and has predominately focused on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The account bio indicates affiliations with multiple universities and membership in the Turkish Martyrs’ Families Association. It describes itself as a “research writer” and an account associated with “Bireysel Spaces.”
Background
As of March 24, 2026, the conflict between Iran and the U.S. and Israel has continued to escalate.
On March 21, Iran’s PressTV reported the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in the 72nd wave of Operation True Promise 4, used ballistic missiles and kamikaze drones to strike Al Minhad Air Base in the UAE and the Ali Al Salem Air Base in Kuwait.
On the same day, Russian news agency TASS, citing a statement from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), reported that the Israeli Air Force carried out overnight strikes on missile production facilities in Tehran, hitting dozens of targets, including a central IRGC facility, and struck multiple air defense sites.
On March 23, Al Jazeera reported that the U.S. President announced a five-day delay in strikes on Iranian power facilities and stated that the two sides were engaged in “productive” negotiations. The following day, Iranian media outlet Press TV posted on X that Iran confirmed it had not held any talks with the United States during the war.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/23/trump-postpones-military-strikes-on-iranian-power-plants
Verdict
Out of Context.
Conclusion
The two posts examined in this fact-check both used authentic visual footage, but the captions did not match the actual context of the footage. The posts were published during a period of heightened attention to conflict-related topics. The publishers attached labels such as “breaking news” to unrelated footage and presented the content through methods including cross-regional repurposing of materials and timeline obfuscation.
When encountering posts characterized by “strong visual impact, unclear sources, and breaking news labels,” it is recommended that audiences prioritize cross-verifying information through official statements and authoritative media outlets.
Have a questionable video or claim? Submit it to Fact Hunter’s investigation team at [therealfacthunter@outlook.com].
Primary Fact Checker: Lei Ting
Secondary Fact Checker: Liu Yi
Reference：
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/iran-israel-strikes-trump-peace-5HjdWmb_2/
https://english.news.cn/20260324/9445e773de2040c49901066b04a297c1/c.html
https://x.com/PressTV/status/2036160166685548994
https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/iran-war-us-israel-trump-03-23-26
https://www.lbc.co.uk/article/iran-israel-strikes-trump-peace-5HjdWmb_2/
