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The claim: Image shows an iPhone that exploded in Lebanon
A Sept. 18 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows an iPhone with its back missing.
“Explosions took place in Lebanon this evening involving mobile phones, lithium batteries, biometric identification devices, and other wireless devices,” reads part of the caption of the post, which shows a screenshot of a post on X.
The original X post is captioned, “iPhones exploding in Lebanaon blowing up random people.”
The post was shared more than 700 times in six days.
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Our rating: False
Two-way radios and pagers exploded in Lebanon as part of what appeared to be a targeted attack on Hezbollah, but there are no reports of biometric devices or iPhones exploding in the attack. The phone in the image is from Egypt in 2021, not the Lebanon attack.
Confirmed explosions only of pagers, two-way radios
Hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah members exploded on Sept. 17, injuring thousands. The next day, hundreds more were injured after two-way radios used by the group also exploded.
As of Sept. 23, those are the only devices confirmed to have exploded as part of what U.S. officials have said were targeted attacks by Israel on Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant organization. Israel has not publicly acknowledged responsibility for the attacks, which killed more than 30 people.
The post uses a picture of an iPhone missing its back, but the device in the image did not explode in Lebanon. The photo was included in a news report about a phone that exploded in a suburb of Cairo, Egypt, in 2021, injuring a child.
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Hezbollah reportedly stopped using cell phones and other devices that constantly send signals prior to the attacks out of fear that these devices were vulnerable to Israeli surveillance.
The Facebook post also claims solar energy systems exploded, but it’s not clear whether that’s the case. Lebanon’s state-run news service said there were reports of solar energy systems exploding during the attacks, but experts questioned whether these incidents were related, according to the Associated Press and the Lebanese outlet L’Oreint Today.
USA TODAY reached out to social media users who shared the claim for comment but did not immediately receive responses.
PolitiFact and DW also addressed similar claims.
Our fact-check sources:
- USA TODAY, Sept. 17, Hundreds of Hezbollah pagers explode across Lebanon injuring thousands
- USA TODAY, Sept. 18, Hezbollah radios explode, injuring hundreds in new blasts tied to Israel
- USA TODAY, Sept. 19, Airport bans pagers, walkie-talkies after devices explode across Lebanon
- Cairo24, March 19, 2021, iPhone explosion causes fire and breaks child’s arm in Maadi (photos)
- BBC, Sept. 19, What we know about the Hezbollah device explosions
- Associated Press, Sept. 19, Lebanon is rocked again by exploding devices as Israel declares a new phase of war
- L’Oreint Today, Sept. 19, Did solar power energy systems explode during Wednesday’s attack?
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