Claim: Israeli warplanes bombed French TotalEnergies facilities in Beirut during military operations against Hezbollah, as retaliation for French President Emmanuel Macron’s stance against military aid to Israel.
Conclusion: There is no evidence supporting the claim that Israeli warplanes bombed TotalEnergies facilities in Beirut. The reports circulating on social media are baseless and have not been verified by credible sources. Israeli airstrikes have focused on Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut, with no indication of targeting TotalEnergies facilities.
The claim was spread on social media.
Facts
The Dahieh area, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, is a Hezbollah stronghold and has suffered extensive damage from recent Israeli airstrikes amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. According to Israeli sources, the strikes targeted significant Hezbollah infrastructure, including intelligence and command centers. The Israeli air force also reportedly targeted Hashem Safieddine, a senior Hezbollah official and cousin of former leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a previous attack in the same area on September 27, 2024.
The claim surfaced on websites on October 5, 2024, and later on social media, where rumors spread that Israeli aircraft targeted TotalEnergies facilities in Beirut, specifically in the southern suburb of Dahieh. According to the claim, the bombing was in retaliation for French President Emmanuel Macron’s opposition to military aid to Israel. Among the accounts that spread the claim was Pelham (@Resist_05), which regularly disseminates disinformation and reached over 19 million views.
Dahieh, in southern Beirut, where TotalEnergies facilities are allegedly located, has indeed been a target of Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah. Dahieh is known as a Hezbollah stronghold, and military operations have focused on the group’s infrastructure. The area was repeatedly bombed, including on September 27, October 3, and October 6, 2024, among other dates.
However, there are no reliable media reports or official sources confirming the bombing of TotalEnergies facilities, and the company has not made any related announcements as of October 9. The only mention comes from Al Jazeera, which cites Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) and claims that a gas station was hit, without specifying if it belonged to TotalEnergies.
Dahieh is a densely populated area in the southern suburbs of Beirut, northeast of Rafic Hariri International Airport, as shown on the map below:
In the same area, there are numerous TotalEnergies gas stations.
According to the Liveuamap, there were several Israeli strikes in Dahieh on October 3, 2024:
However, none of them appear to have hit a TotalEnergies gas station.
We have contacted the TotalEnergies press office via email for further information and will update the article once we receive a response.
Conclusion
There is no evidence to support the claim that Israeli warplanes bombed TotalEnergies facilities in Beirut. The reports circulating on social media are baseless and have not been verified by credible sources. Israeli airstrikes are focused on Hezbollah targets in southern Beirut, with no indication of targeting TotalEnergies facilities.