Fox News host and conservative commentator Sean Hannity is under scrutiny after sharing a video he claimed showed a recent U.S. military strike on Iran’s Fordow nuclear facility—only to be publicly corrected by a senior BBC journalist for sharing misinformation.
On Saturday, Hannity posted a dramatic explosion video to Meta platforms, captioned “Fordow is gone,” referring to the Iranian nuclear site reportedly targeted in recent military action. The video quickly gained attention, with many social media users assuming it depicted a real-time U.S. strike on the facility.
However, the footage turned out to be misleading.
Senior BBC journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh took to X (formerly Twitter) to correct the record. “Fox News prime time host Sean Hannity has posted this video on Instagram, falsely claiming that it shows US strikes on Fordow tonight,” Sardarizadeh wrote late Saturday.
“The video he’s posted is actually from December 2024, showing Israeli strikes on a missile base in Tartous, Syria.” The clarification set off a wave of online backlash, with critics accusing Hannity of spreading false information during a highly sensitive geopolitical moment.
Among those reacting was popular liberal commentator Spiro’s Ghost, who posted sarcastically: “Sean Hannity posting fake nonsense? Shocked, I tell you.” While the video has since circulated widely, no correction or clarification has been posted by Hannity on his social media platforms at the time of publication.
This isn’t the first time Hannity, a staunch ally of President Donald Trump and prominent figure on Fox News, has faced criticism for sharing unverified or misleading content. Media watchdogs have often called out the host for promoting speculative narratives, particularly concerning foreign affairs and U.S. military actions.
The incident comes amid rising tensions in the Middle East, with recent reports of U.S. strikes in Iran heightening the urgency for accurate reporting. Fordow, a deeply fortified underground nuclear site, has long been a focus of international concern, and any suggestion of an attack there carries serious diplomatic implications.
Misinformation during such volatile periods, experts warn, can escalate conflict or inflame public misunderstanding. While the video’s true origin—Israeli airstrikes on Syria in late 2024—has now been verified by multiple sources, the spread of the clip under false pretenses raises broader concerns about the role of major media figures in shaping public perception during global crises.