Old visuals of a controlled demolition of a building in the US shared as Hamas attack on US Embassy in Tel Aviv - FACTLY
Sai Krishna Muthyanolla
November 4, 2023
Amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, a video depicting a building collapse is circulating widely, claiming that these visuals show Hamas bringing down the US embassy in Tel Aviv. In this article, we will fact-check the assertion made in the post.
Claim: Footage of the US embassy in Tel Aviv being brought down
Fact: These visuals, in fact, showcase a controlled demolition of The Dominion Energy Tower, a 21-story office building located in Virginia, USA. This demolition occurred in 2020, and numerous news agencies covered it at the time. Additionally, in 2018, former US President Donald Trump relocated the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Further, there are no reports indicating any such attack on the US embassy in Israel during the ongoing conflict. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
While Hamas fired rockets targeting Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, causing the destruction of residential buildings, it’s important to note that the currently viral videos do not depict any building collapse in Tel Aviv, including the US embassy.
The viral visuals depict a controlled demolition of an office building in Virginia, USA, in 2020. Internet search with relevant keywords yielded reports featuring the visuals of a similar building collapse (here, here, here & here). As per these reports, the visuals depict the controlled demolition of The Dominion Energy Tower, a 21-story office tower in downtown Richmond, Virginia.
A further search yielded multiple videos related to the implosion of this building (here & here). On comparison of the visuals shared in these reports with that of the viral visuals, it can be established that the viral visuals indeed show the Dominion Energy Tower in Virginia.
By conducting a Google Maps search (here & here), we can identify the distinctive large glass building shown in the viral video located in Richmond, Virginia. This confirms the building’s location.
It’s important to note that in 2018, former US President Donald Trump moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. We also couldn’t find any news reports indicating that the US embassy in Israel has been affected by the ongoing conflict. This lack of evidence substantiates the claim as false.
To sum it up, old visuals of the controlled demolition of a building in the USA shared as Hamas attack on the US embassy in Tel Aviv