As social media sizzled with clips claiming to show chaos at Tel Aviv’s airport following an alleged Iranian drone strike, one particularly dramatic video stood out — people sprinting through what looked like a terminal, screaming, ducking, and bolting for cover. But there’s a twist: that video wasn’t from Tel Aviv, nor was it recent. Turns out, it’s months old and straight from the US.
Old Clip, New Conflict, Same Confusion
This viral footage — widely circulated online with captions like “Panic and chaos at Tel Aviv Airport as loitering drones crash and explode near the premises” — wasn’t filmed in Israel at all. It’s from February 2025, shot inside the Florida Mall in Orlando.
The incident? A young man accidentally discharged a firearm while adjusting it inside the mall. He wounded himself in the process. There were no fatalities. But the noise and ensuing confusion sparked panic. Mall-goers scrambled, assuming the worst — a mass shooting. Police quickly arrived and clarified there was no active shooter, only one injured individual who was immediately taken to the hospital.
Still, the chaos was captured on video, and in the world of internet virality, context often gets ditched at the door.
Misleading Claims Flood Social Media
Amid the recent Iran-Israel conflict that reignited in mid-June 2025, misinformation has exploded across platforms. Among the many posts making rounds, this particular video got pegged — wrongly — as evidence of Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport under siege.
The claim sounded dramatic and, to some, believable: drones crashing, civilians fleeing, airports being evacuated. The kind of scenario that instantly spreads like wildfire across Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Telegram. One version even declared:
“Loitering drones explode near Tel Aviv airport, mass evacuation underway. This is war.”
But digging into it — and not very deeply, mind you — proves otherwise.
Verifying the Truth Behind the Clip
Fact-checkers at India Today, using Google Lens and geolocation techniques, traced the video back to February 16, 2025. Multiple posts from that time pinpointed the event to the Florida Mall in Orlando, and accompanying news reports confirmed the same.
Further proof came through Google Maps images, which match the mall’s interior architecture and storefronts to those seen in the viral clip.
And yet, here we are — five months later, with the same footage being weaponized online for clicks, engagement, and, sadly, fear.
Timing of the Conflict Fuels Misinformation
The timing didn’t help. Since June 13, 2025, the Iran-Israel conflict has ramped up after Iranian drones and missiles were reportedly launched at Israeli territory. Iran’s media outlets claimed to have hit Ben Gurion Airport. That story, too, spread fast — though without concrete verification from Israeli or international media.
For several days, Israel had closed its airspace, and commercial flights in and out of Tel Aviv were suspended, leaving tens of thousands stranded. This led many online users to assume or believe that the airport had been hit or targeted.
While The Times of Israel did confirm that flights resumed on June 18 — specifically, two aircraft returned Israeli citizens from Cyprus — there was no confirmation of a strike on the airport itself.
But in the gap between verified news and speculative chatter, false narratives flourish.
Why These Videos Go Viral So Easily
Misinformation spreads for lots of reasons. But a few stand out here:
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Visual drama: A panicked crowd running inside a public space? It’s instantly clickable.
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Current conflict context: When war breaks out, people expect chaos — especially in places like airports.
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Lack of immediate verification: Before fact-checks come in, the internet moves at the speed of light.
It doesn’t help that official agencies take time to issue statements, and by then, the video has already made rounds across continents.
Even with confirmation that this clip was from Florida, people were still resharing it hours later — some likely unaware, others willfully pushing a misleading narrative.
What’s Real and What Isn’t? Here’s a Table for Clarity
To help separate fact from fiction, here’s a quick snapshot of the key claims versus confirmed facts:
| Claim | Fact |
|---|---|
| Panic at Tel Aviv Airport after Iranian drone hit | No verified reports of drone strikes at the airport |
| Viral video shows chaos in Tel Aviv | Video is from Florida Mall, Orlando, Feb 2025 |
| Casualties reported at airport | No credible evidence supporting this claim |
| Israel resumed flights from Ben Gurion | Yes, as of June 18, two flights returned from Cyprus |
| Israel airspace open for all flights | No, still limited amid security concerns |
Sometimes, clarity is just one table away.
The Bigger Picture: Conflict + Disinformation = Dangerous Mix
This isn’t the first time — and sadly, won’t be the last — that out-of-context videos are used to inflame tensions, push propaganda, or simply stoke fear. During wars and geopolitical conflicts, the lines between truth and fiction blur faster than ever before.
It’s a reminder that viewers need to stay skeptical, double-check sources, and avoid sharing dramatic clips unless they’re confirmed by reputable outlets.
And for content creators and influencers chasing virality, there’s a responsibility too. A viral post might make you internet famous for a day — but spreading false info can have real-world consequences, especially when lives are on the line in conflict zones.
