Old, Unrelated Image of Smoke Forming Over Area Falsely Linked to Delhi Blast

We found that the image dates back to 2024 and has no connection to India.

Fact-Check | The image is old and has no connection to India.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

An image which shows smoke billowing over an area is being circulated on social media platforms with a claim that it shows recent visuals from Delhi.

The claim comes after the car blast near Gate No 1 of the Red Fort Metro Station that led to the death of at least 8 people and left over 20 injured on 10 November. You can read the latest updates here.

An archive of the post can be found here.

(Source: X (formerly Twitter)/Screenshot)

The above post had gained over six thousand views on the platform. More archives of similar claims could be found here, here, and here.

What are the facts?: The image could be traced back to September 2024 and showed smoke forming in southern Beirut, Lebanon. This makes the viral image false.

How did we find that out?: We conducted a simple Google Lens search and came across a similar visual uploaded in a news report by Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

• The report talked about Israel Defense Forces (IDF) mentioning that it had bombed several residential building in southern Beirut. The IDF claimed that it targeted Hezbollah's "central headquarters."

• Smoke was seen billowing over the area and massive explosions were heard in Lebanon's capital.

The report was published on 27 September 2024.

(Source: ABC/Screenshot)

Comparing visuals: Team WebQoof compared the viral image to the visual available in the news report and concluded that both of them were from the same incident.

• This, in turn, proved that the photo had no connection to India.

A comparison clearly highlights the similarities.

(Source: ABC/Screenshot/Altered by The Quint)

PIB debunks the claim: The fact-checking wing of Press Information Bureau (PIB), on its official X handle, clarified that the image was old and was being falsely linked to the recent blast in Delhi.

• The post shared on 10 November said, "The image is from a 2024 blast in Lebanon, not from #Delhi."

Conclusion: It is evident that the image is old and is being incorrectly linked to the recent blast in Delhi.

(Not convinced of a post or information you came across online and want it verified? Send us the details on WhatsApp at 9540511818 , or e-mail it to us at [e-mail] and we'll fact-check it for you. You can also read all our fact-checked stories here.)