A video showing a high-rise building engulfed in massive flames is being widely circulated on social media with the claim that it depicts an Israeli strike on the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) headquarters in Tehran, Iran. Some users have also claimed that the footage shows the aftermath of a US Air Force attack on the IRGC’s command center.
What is the viral claim?
Sharing the video, a user named Pushpraj Sharma wrote: “Israel has launched a massive attack on the IRGC headquarters in Tehran, Iran. The strike was so devastating that the IRGC headquarters was completely destroyed. Pandit Benjamin Netanyahu is on fire.”
Another user, Think Tank, claimed the footage showed a US Air Force strike on the IRGC headquarters and wrote: “The US Air Force has targeted the IRGC’s ‘Sar-Allah Headquarters’ in Tehran. This is footage of the main command facility engulfed in flames following the attack.”
Similarly, a user named 𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄 shared the video with the caption: “BREAKING: Friends, the situation has escalated dramatically. The US military has directly targeted the IRGC’s main ‘Sar-Allah’ headquarters in Tehran. Reports say the primary command center is currently burning. There is no room left for denial. ⚡ #Tehran #IRGC #Geopolitics”
Fact Check
Times Headline investigated the viral claim and found that the video has no connection to Iran, the IRGC headquarters, or any recent Israeli or US military strike. The footage is actually from a major fire that broke out in Changsha, China, in 2022.
To verify the claim, key frames from the viral video were extracted and subjected to a reverse image search. The search led to the same footage uploaded on the Hindustan Times YouTube channel on September 16, 2022. The video’s title clearly identifies it as a fire that broke out in a skyscraper in Changsha, China.
According to the video’s description, the fire occurred in a 42-story building housing offices of the state-owned telecommunications company China Telecom. Chinese authorities had stated at the time that no casualties were reported.
Further verification found multiple international media reports covering the same incident.
CNN reported that a massive fire engulfed a 42-story skyscraper in Changsha, Hunan Province, China. Authorities later confirmed that the blaze had been brought under control and that there were no reports of casualties.
Likewise, The Guardian reported that the 218-meter-tall building, completed in 2000 and located near one of the city’s major ring roads, caught fire but no injuries or deaths were reported.
Business Standard also reported that several floors of the over-200-meter-tall China Telecom building in downtown Changsha were rapidly consumed by flames, sending thick smoke into the sky. The fire was eventually extinguished.
For additional verification, Times Headline contacted Iranian journalist Zamir Jaffari, who dismissed the viral claim as false. He confirmed that no such incident had recently taken place in Iran.
Another Iranian journalist, Hassan Zaidi also refuted the claim, saying:
“This is misleading information. There is no such building in Tehran. There is, however, a bank building in the city center with a somewhat similar design, and it is still standing.”
Conclusion
The investigation by Times Headline confirms that the viral claim is false. The circulating video does not show an Israeli attack on the IRGC headquarters in Tehran or a US Air Force strike. In reality, it is footage of a fire that broke out in the China Telecom building in Changsha, China, in September 2022. Therefore, the claim circulating on social media is misleading.