These images supposedly showing other objects exploding have been verified

Since the explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies targeting Hezbollah members in Lebanon, Internet users have been sharing images purporting to show that other objects have also exploded.

Two waves of explosions of pagers, then walkie-talkies, carried by members of Hezbollah, hit Lebanon on Tuesday, then Wednesday, September 17 and 18. These simultaneous explosions caused the death of several dozen people and injured thousands, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Since then, on social networks, some Internet users have been sharing photos and videos of explosions supposedly showing other types of objects exploding in Lebanon. Content that contributes to the climate of fear that is taking hold in the country, because the Lebanese fear that other electronic objects could explode near them. We have verified these images.

A reporter from the Israeli i24 news channel shares a photo of an exploded iPhone.

The author of the social media post claims that it was an iPhone that exploded in Lebanon, in the same way that pagers and walkie-talkies have in recent days. Except that a reverse image search turns up the exact same photo of an exploding iPhone on an Egyptian news site, cairo24.com.

In the article, we learn that it was an iPhone that exploded in an Egyptian family, after being plugged in to be recharged. This caused a fire, which was quickly brought under control. The article is dated March 19, 2021, so it has nothing to do with the explosions that have taken place in recent days in Lebanon.

Internet users are sharing videos that supposedly prove that other objects have also exploded in Lebanon in recent days, such as solar panel batteries, iPhones and even microwaves. The posts have accumulated several hundred thousand views and contribute to the psychosis and climate of fear that has taken hold in the country since these explosions. The Lebanese fear that any electronic object in their daily lives will explode at any moment.

Except that there is nothing in these images that proves that these objects exploded. In one of the videos, we see the roof of a building with smoke coming out of it. The author of the post claims that it was the battery of a solar panel that caused this smoke. In another, we see a store that has just exploded, without knowing what caused it, yet the person sharing this video claims that it was the simultaneous explosion of iPhones that caused the tragedy. Finally, in a last video, we see an explosion, which comes from the apartment of a building, filmed from very far away and, according to the author of the tweet with the video, it is the explosion of a microwave. Each time, the videos are short, of poor quality, filmed from very far away and without context, which allows anyone to use them to interpret them as they wish.

We also find these same videos on accounts of local journalists or media but with a completely different description. According to them, it is probably the explosion of transmission devices, such as pagers or walkie-talkies.