Fact Check: Is clip showing Iranian missile hitting bridge linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia real?

WASHINGTON, DC: The US-Iran war has caused widespread disruption across the Middle East, causing more than 2,000 reported deaths, oil price surges, disrupted shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and Suez Canal, and airspace closures in multiple countries.

Amid this, a video went viral claiming to show an Iranian missile hitting the King Fahd Bridge linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. But is there any truth to this viral claim? Let us find out below.

Claim: Iranian missile hits King Fahd Bridge linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia

An X account @Didpress_agency shared the viral clip and mentioned in the caption, "JUST IN. First Footage of Iranian missile strikes toward King Fahd (Friendship) Bridge, that links Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, was successfully destroyed largest bridge in Middle East."

The video shows an explosion on a bridge, causing parts of the structure to collapse. The Middle East is currently witnessing an intense military conflict between Iran and US-Israeli forces.

Iran launched retaliatory attacks on Gulf countries such as Kuwait, the UAE, Bahrain, and Qatar after being attacked by the US. The conflict between the US and Iran has heightened geopolitical tensions in the region and has raised questions about the global energy crisis and future impact on countries.

Fact check: False, viral clip is from 2022

The claim made in the viral video that an Iranian missile hit the King Fahd Bridge linking Bahrain and Saudi Arabia is false. It is an old video from the October 2022 truck explosion on Russia's Kerch Bridge in Crimea, linking Russia to occupied Ukraine, which caused a fire but did not destroy the structure.

Moreover, the clip has been widely debunked as misinformation repurposed for the current conflict, similar to other fakes flooding social media. 

Furthermore, a report by The Guardian in October 2022 reported that a truck bomb set fire to seven fuel-laden railway carriages, leading to the partial collapse of two sections of the bridge.

The report further mentioned that Russia’s investigative committee confirmed the deaths of a man and a woman who were crossing the bridge in a vehicle when the explosion occurred.

The US and Israeli forces have ramped up airstrikes deep into Iran, including recent B-2 bomber drops on buried ballistic missile launchers and attacks on aircraft hangars, planes, and other military infrastructure in Tehran and other regions.