Video of 2020 Beirut port explosion misrepresented as Huthi missile attack on Israel

Yahoo! News - May 9th, 2025
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Yemen's Huthi rebels have launched multiple missile attacks against Israel since the outbreak of the Gaza war, with most being intercepted. However, a recent missile managed to land near Israel's main Ben Gurion Airport. A viral video falsely claimed that Huthi missiles had destroyed an Israeli city, but the footage was confirmed to be a 2020 explosion in Beirut caused by chemical storage. This misinformation has been circulating on social media platforms, misleading viewers with incorrect narratives.

The video, originally from a devastating blast in Beirut, has been misused to depict a non-existent Huthi attack on Israel. This comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East and ongoing conflicts involving the TPLF and Fano militia in Ethiopia. The misinformation highlights the challenges of verifying news in conflict zones and the potential for viral falsehoods to escalate tensions further. The significant public response to the Beirut explosion illustrates the power of visual media in shaping public perception and the importance of diligent fact-checking to counteract misinformation.

Story submitted by Fairstory

RATING

6.2
Moderately Fair
Read with skepticism

The article effectively highlights the issue of misinformation by debunking the misrepresentation of the 2020 Beirut explosion video as a recent Huthi missile attack on Israel. It uses credible sources and fact-checking tools to verify the claims, contributing to its overall accuracy. However, the inclusion of unrelated content about Ethiopian conflicts detracts from the story's focus and clarity, reducing its overall impact. By maintaining a tighter focus on the primary issue and providing clearer attributions for all claims, the article could enhance its effectiveness in informing and engaging readers. Despite these areas for improvement, the article addresses a timely and relevant topic that is of significant public interest, contributing to its overall quality and importance.

RATING DETAILS

7
Accuracy

The story accurately highlights the misrepresentation of a video from the 2020 Beirut explosion as a recent Huthi missile attack on Israel. It correctly identifies that the video circulating on social media is not from a recent event but from an explosion caused by chemicals stored at Beirut port in 2020. This aligns with established fact-checking sources that have verified the video's origin.

The article's claims regarding the Huthi rebels' missile attacks on Israel are also substantiated by reports confirming these attacks since the war on Gaza began. However, the story does not provide direct evidence or sources for the claim about a missile penetrating Israeli defenses and landing near Ben Gurion Airport, which would benefit from additional verification.

The inclusion of unrelated content about Ethiopian conflicts, while factually correct regarding the groups involved, detracts from the central narrative and could confuse readers about the main focus of the story. Overall, the story is largely accurate but could improve by providing more direct sources for some claims.

6
Balance

The story attempts to present multiple perspectives by addressing both the misrepresentation of the Beirut explosion video and the actual Huthi missile attacks on Israel. However, it lacks a comprehensive exploration of the motivations or perspectives of the parties involved, such as the Huthi rebels or the Israeli government.

The inclusion of information about Ethiopian conflicts appears unbalanced, as it does not directly relate to the main narrative about the video misrepresentation. This could create an impression of bias or a lack of focus, as it introduces a separate conflict without sufficient context or relevance to the primary issue.

Overall, while the article covers multiple angles, it could benefit from a more focused and balanced exploration of the central issue, avoiding tangential information that may detract from the main story.

5
Clarity

The article is generally clear in its presentation of the main issue, which is the misrepresentation of the Beirut explosion video. However, the inclusion of unrelated content about Ethiopian conflicts detracts from the clarity, as it introduces a separate narrative that is not directly relevant to the main story.

The structure could be improved by focusing more tightly on the central narrative and ensuring that all information presented is directly related to the main claims. This would help maintain a logical flow and prevent reader confusion.

Overall, while the article is mostly clear, the inclusion of tangential information and lack of focus on the main narrative reduce its overall clarity.

7
Source quality

The story references credible sources such as The Times of Israel and AFP Fact Check, which are known for their reliability in reporting and fact-checking. These sources lend credibility to the claims about Huthi missile attacks and the verification of the video’s origin.

However, the story could improve by directly citing these sources more explicitly within the text, providing readers with clear attributions for each specific claim. This would enhance the transparency and reliability of the information presented.

While the article uses reputable sources for the main claims, the lack of direct attribution for some statements, such as the penetration of Israeli air defenses, slightly diminishes the overall source quality.

6
Transparency

The article provides some transparency by mentioning the use of tools like InVID-WeVerify for video verification and referencing AFP Fact Check for debunking false claims. This transparency helps readers understand the basis for the claims made in the story.

However, the article could improve by explicitly stating the methodology used for verifying the Huthi missile attacks and the sources of information on Ethiopian conflicts. This would provide readers with a clearer understanding of how the information was obtained and verified.

Overall, while the article offers some transparency, it could benefit from more detailed explanations of the verification processes and clearer attributions for all claims.

Sources

  1. https://factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.462H4KD
  2. https://newschecker.in/fact-check/2020-video-of-beirut-port-explosion-goes-viral-as-breaking-news
  3. https://www.ptinews.com/fact-detail/pti-fact-check-videos-of-2020-beirut-port-explosion-falsely-shared-in-name-of-recent-lpg-cng-tankers-blast-in-jaipur/2122714
  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH0vkTlV7lo
  5. https://www.misbar.com/en/factcheck/2023/10/14/2020-beirut-explosion-video-resurfaced-after-operation-al-aqsa-flood