A video compilation showing missile strikes and buildings collapsing has been shared on social media with a caption implying it shows footage of US strikes on Iran.
The compilation actually includes two old clips from Gaza and Lebanon, as well as multiple videos which appear to be fake.
The one-minute compilation features eight different clips of explosions and drone strikes with the overlaid caption “US strikes 140 targets in Iran war is back on”.
The US said it struck 140 military targets across Iran on 11 July 2026, but the compilation video being shared on social media doesn’t show scenes from those attacks.
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The first three clips contain a watermark in the bottom left corner reading “ARMED FORCES ARCHIVES // RENDER FOOTAGE”. The oldest versions of these we could find were shared on 2 March 2026, claiming to show missile attacks on Israel. The caption accompanying the clips at that time said they were “render footage showing a possible scenario”. The Iran-backed group Hezbollah did fire rockets at Israel on 2 March, but we have seen no evidence that these clips are genuine.
These clips have been shared many times online since, claiming to show real attacks on Israel, as well as Russia.
The fourth clip, which shows a dark cloud of smoke billowing out from buildings in the aftermath of an explosion, was not filmed in Iran. The scenes in the video match footage shared by the AP Archive on YouTube in February 2026, showing an Israeli strike hitting the village of Ain Qana in southern Lebanon.
The same buildings can also be seen in reporting of the air strikes by the BBC.
The next video also reuses old footage from conflict in the Middle East, this time showing a residential tower building collapsing in Gaza in October 2023. It matches footage shared by ABC News at the time. Another angle posted by AP Archive also shows the buildings falling after being hit by an Israeli air strike.
We have not been able to verify where or when the footage in the sixth clip was filmed.
The final two videos, which show missiles travelling above a high-rise skyline, seem to be fake. The earliest version we could find was shared on 22 March with an Arabic caption that translates to “the fragmentation rocket and the air explosion are simulated”.
These clips also contain an invisible SynthID watermark for audio, which signals this part was made or edited with Google’s AI tools.
Miscaptioned footage is common on social media, especially during breaking news events. It’s important to consider whether what you are seeing comes from a trustworthy and verifiable source before sharing.
We have written about many other examples of out of context videos being shared in relation to conflict in the Middle East, including a clip of a fighter jet being shot down that originated from a video game and an old video of a market fire in the UAE being shared online claiming to show an attack on Tel Aviv.
