Amid heightened tensions following US President Donald Trump’s declaration that the ceasefire is “over,” social media platforms have been flooded with content regarding the ongoing conflict. Among these, a video claiming to depict a retaliatory strike by Iran on a “highly classified” US facility has gained significant traction, garnering over 288,000 views on X at the time of reporting.
Despite the viral nature of the post, the footage is entirely unrelated to the current geopolitical conflict. A visual investigation confirms that the video actually shows a fire that occurred at the Pravoberezkny Market in St. Petersburg, Russia, on December 10. The footage features large plumes of smoke rising from a burning building, surrounded by city streets, cars, and high-rise structures.
Geolocation analysis, utilizing visual markers such as the distinct round-shaped structure over the entrance and specific triangular shapes beneath the main roof, confirms the location as the St. Petersburg market (59.904505, 30.469624). These details match other verified recordings of the same December incident.
This is not the first time this specific footage has been used to spread misinformation. Reverse image searches reveal that the video has circulated repeatedly since May, falsely attributed to various scenarios including an Iranian attack on Dubai, a US strike on Kuwait, and a Hezbollah assault on a secret base in Israel. The video has been shared across multiple platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, reaching audiences in several languages such as Arabic, Turkish, Indonesian, and Spanish.
The video appeared several times on X (such as here) Wednesday with the same claim, collecting thousands of views.
