A video showing a massive explosion on a bridge and significant damage to the structure is being circulated with a false claim that it shows an Iranian missile hitting the King Fahd Bridge linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
BOOM found that the video is from October 2022. It shows an explosion on a bridge connecting annexed Crimea to the Russian mainland, which caused parts of the structure to collapse.
The Middle East is witnessing intense military conflict between Iran and US-Israeli forces. After being attacked by the US as part of Operation Epic Fury, Iran launched retaliatory attacks on Gulf countries such as Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar. The conflict has heightened geopolitical tensions in the region, bringing up questions about the global energy crisis and the future impact on countries.
The Claim
An X user shared the video with the caption, "JUST IN First Footage of Iranian missiles strikes toward King Fahd (Friendship) Bridge, that links Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, was successfully destroyed largest bridge in Middle East."
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What We Found: Video Shows Blast on Crimea Bridge
1. Video From 2022: We first broke the video into keyframes, ran a reverse image search on them and found multiple news reports about it. The reports identified the explosion visuals as an early morning blast and the ensuing fire that hit a section of the dual road and rail Crimea Bridge over the Kerch Strait.
A span of the road bridge collapsed into the sea on October 8, 2022.
2. Truck Bomb Behind the Explosion: A report by The Guardian on October 8, 2022, said Russia’s national anti-terrorism committee reported that a truck bomb set fire to seven fuel-laden railway carriages, which resulted in the partial collapse of two sections of the bridge. The report added that Russia’s investigative committee confirmed the deaths of a man and a woman who were crossing the bridge in a vehicle when the explosion occurred.