Fact-check: Old fire and jet crash videos linked to recent Pakistan-India conflict

After the recent clashes between India and Pakistan, which ended in a ceasefire on May 10, several videos began circulating online, falsely claiming to show the latest conflict.

Claim 

A social media user shared a video of a massive fire, alleging it showed Pakistan’s Nur Khan Airbase in Rawalpindi being hit by Indian missile strikes.

Fact

The footage predates the recent flare-up. Geo Fact Check traced the clip to a Facebook post dated December 6, 2023. The post stated that the fire was caused by a collision between two fuel tankers near the old airport in Rawalpindi.

The same incident was reported by several media outlets, including Jang and Dawn, as well.

Claim 

Another clip with over a million views appears to show two Pakistani fighter jets being shot down by the Indian Air Force over Budgam in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

Fact

The video is not recent and does not show Pakistani jets. A reverse image search traced it to a September 2022 report by The Irish Sun, which identified the aircraft as Russian and confirmed they were shot down by Ukraine.

The report can be viewed here.

Ukraine’s former minister for defence also posted the same video, describing it as part of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Verdict: The viral videos claiming to show recent developments in the India-Pakistan skirmish are old and unrelated.

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