Fact Check: Houthi rebels attack Israel’s Ashkelon power plant? No, video is from Saudi Arabia
Claim: The video shows a massive fire at Israel’s Ashkelon power plant after an attack.
Fact: The claim is false. The video shows a fire at the Aramco oil facility in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, following a Houthi attack in March 2022.
Hyderabad: A video is being widely shared on social media with the claim that it shows a massive fire at Israel’s Ashkelon power plant due to a planned attack.
An X user shared the video with the caption: “The most powerful scene: The burning of the Ashkelon station reminds us of the days of Aramco. Israel turns off its lights.” ( Archive )
The 11-second clip shows massive flames rising from a structure resembling a power plant.
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim was false. The video was old and showed a fire at the Aramco oil facility in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
A reverse image search led us to a video uploaded on YouTube in a video report by Al Arabiya on March 26, 2022. The text on the video read: ‘Scenes of fire breaking out at the Aramco station in Jeddah after it was attacked’ (translated from Arabic).
The viral video closely matched visuals from the Al Arabiya report, which confirmed that the fire occurred at Saudi Aramco’s oil depot in Jeddah after a Houthi attack.
Further keyword search led us to a Guardian report titled ‘Fire breaks out at Jeddah oil depot before Saudi Arabia Grand Prix’, dated March 25, 2002
The article reported that the fire erupted at the depot days before the Saudi Grand Prix, following an attack claimed by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. Similar images were included in this report, confirming the location.
A report from Reuters and CNBC confirmed that the visuals were from the Aramco facility in Jeddah, not Israel’s Ashkelon power plant.
Therefore, the viral claim that the video shows an attack on Israel's Ashkelon power plant is false. The video is from March 2022 and shows a fire at Saudi Aramco’s oil depot in Jeddah after a Houthi missile strike.
(This story was originally published by newsmeter, and republished by english.varthabharati.in as part of the Shakti Collective)
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1,850 missing mobile phones recovered as Delhi Police focusses on victim-centric policing
New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Police has recovered 1,850 stolen and lost mobile phones worth around Rs 4 crore in past 40 days under "Mission Reconnect", an initiative aimed at returning phones to their rightful owners in outernorth Delhi, an official said on Saturday.
The recovered phones were traced from different parts of the country, including remote areas, through technical surveillance and sustained field operations, police said, adding that the devices were handed over to their owners during a programme at the Sports Ground, New Police Lines, Kingsway Camp.
The initiative focused on a victim-centric approach and aimed at strengthening public trust through proactive policing and coordinated efforts across states, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Outernorth) Hareshwar Swami said.
As part of the programme, teams performed 'nukkad nataks' and screened awareness videos on cybercrime, drug abuse prevention, and senior citizen safety, sensitising the public about digital frauds and safety measures, officials said.
The initiative combines technology, investigation and community participation to ensure recovery of lost property and reconnect citizens with their valuables, they added.
