Video of Malta spread as explosion at Israeli weapons factory

A video has circulated on multiple social media platforms claiming that an explosion suddenly shook an Israeli military weapons factory. However, a fact-check by Dismislab reveals that the scene is not from Israel, but rather an incident from the Southern European island nation of Malta. According to multiple international media outlets, a massive explosion occurred early in the morning on June 1 at the Lourdes fireworks factory on Triq il-Qadi in the Maghtab area of Malta.

On June 1, a 7-second video was posted from a personal Facebook profile named “Onyay er biruddhe gorjon” (Roar against injustice) with the caption, “An #Israeli #military #weapons factory suddenly shook with an explosion.” In the 7-second video, continuous explosions and burning fire can be seen from a specific location. At the 4-second mark, a massive explosion occurs, and a plume of black smoke is seen rising. Up until the writing of this report, the video has been viewed more than 42,000 times. There were over 1,000 reactions.

The video has been shared with the same claim from multiple (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) personal Facebook profiles and pages. The video has also been shared with the same claim from multiple (1, 2, 3) Instagram accounts.

To verify the truth, a reverse image search led to a report by the Malta-based media outlet Times of Malta. The title of the report published on June 1 was, “Watch: Fireworks factory explosion shocks Malta.” The video used in this report is an exact match to the circulated video.

The report stated, “A powerful explosion and a series of smaller ones rocked the Salina area on Monday morning as a fireworks factory blew up, sending a thick plume of smoke into the air. The blast at the Lourdes Fireworks Factory on Triq il-Qadi damaged many properties in the area, but the police said all people who work on site and neighbours were accounted for.”

The video has also been used in reports by multiple (1, 2, 3, 4, 5) international media outlets and has been referred to as an incident from Malta. A report published by Al Jazeera stated, “A large explosion has torn through a fireworks factory in northern Malta, damaging buildings several kilometres away. No workers were inside at the time, but authorities reported two men in nearby fields were injured.”

That is to say, the scene of the explosion at the fireworks factory in Malta is being circulated with the claim of an explosion at an Israeli weapons factory.

Dismislab has previously published multiple fact-check reports regarding claims circulated involving Israel.