#FactCheck - Old Ajman Fire Video Falsely Linked to Iran Drone Attack on Dubai Airport

Research Wing
Research Wing
Innovation and Research
PUBLISHED ON
Mar 18, 2026
10

Executive Summary:

The ongoing conflict between Iran and the US-Israel has entered its 19th day. Meanwhile, a video is being widely shared on social media claiming that Iran is carrying out continuous drone attacks at Dubai International Airport. The clip shows visuals of massive fire and explosion However, research by the CyberPeace has found the claim to be misleading. Our research revealed that the video has been available on the internet since 2020. In reality, the footage shows a fire at a market in Ajman, UAE, and not explosions at Dubai Airport in 2026. Although there were recent reports of a fire near DXB (Dubai Airport) following a drone attack, this video is not related to that incident.

Claim:

On social media platform X (formerly Twitter), a user shared the viral video on March 17, 2026, writing:


“Dubai International Airport – Iran is dropping drones continuously.”

Post link, archive link, and screenshot are given below:

Fact Check:

To verify the viral claim, we extracted keyframes from the video and conducted a reverse image search using Google Lens. During the research, we found the same video on a YouTube channel, where it was uploaded on August 6, 2020. The caption read: “Ajman fruits and vegetables market caught in fire.”

Based on this clue, it became clear that the viral video has no connection with the ongoing Iran-US-Israel conflict. In the next step, we searched using relevant keywords and found a report published on August 5, 2020, on the website of Gulf News, which contained visuals similar to the viral video.

According to the Gulf News report, a major fire broke out at a public market in the new industrial area of Ajman at around 6:30 pm. The blaze was later brought under control by Ajman Civil Defence with assistance from teams in Dubai, Sharjah, and Umm Al Quwain.

Conclusion:

Our research found that the viral video has been online since 2020 and shows a fire at a market in Ajman, UAE. It is not related to any recent incident at Dubai Airport.

PUBLISHED ON
Mar 18, 2026
Category
#FactCheck
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