Video shared as war scenes in Tel Aviv is actually from 2023 post-earthquake Turkey

A video is circulating on social media with the claim that it depicts the current situation in the Israeli capital, Tel Aviv. However, a fact-check by Dismislab reveals that the video circulating shows scenes of damage following the earthquake that struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023.

On March 3, 2026, a video was posted from a personal Facebook profile. The caption stated, “#Iran will wipe #Israel from the map 😅 current scene of #Tel_Aviv #Israel….#Pray_for_Israel”. The video has drawn more than 2,000 reactions, 269 shares and more than 59,000 views. Multiple collapsed buildings and vehicles are seen in the 11-second video. The video was posted with the same claim from several personal Facebook profiles (1, 2, 3, 4) as well.

A reverse image search of various keyframes led Dismislab to a post published on February 6, 2023, on the X account of journalist Borzou Daragahi. The caption of the post was, “The scene of devastation in the Turkish city of Kahramanmaraş, near the epicenter of the earthquake.” The first 11 seconds of the 14-second video are an exact match to the circulating video.

A search of relevant keywords led to multiple (1, 2, 3) videos on YouTube where the scene from the circulating video is visible. The title of the video published on February 6, 2023, on the YouTube channel of Memurlar.net TV was, “Powerful earthquake in Kahramanmaraş! New video footage has emerged.” The logo of the Turkey-based news agency Anadolu is also visible in this video.

Further verification led to multiple reports (1, 2, 3, 4) where the scene of devastation is visible. The video was found in a report published on February 6, 2023, by the Turkish media outlet NTV. The title of the report was “First images from the epicenter of the earthquake.” The report stated, “A 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Kahramanmaraş at 4:17 AM, affecting a total of 10 provinces. The initial images coming from the earthquake’s epicenter in the Pazarcık district depict a scene of horrific devastation.”

Incidentally, a powerful 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria on February 6, 2023. As a result of the earthquake, a combined death toll of more than 59,000 people was reported in Turkey and Syria.

Dismislab has previously published multiple fact-check reports regarding the ongoing Iran-Israel conflict.