Explosive Misinformation: A Guide to Mushroom Clouds, ‘Sonic Weapons’, and Disintegration

Since launching the military campaign against Iran on Feb. 28, the US and Israel have dropped thousands of bombs on the country. Videos of explosions have become a source of misinformation and misunderstanding, with many of the strikes incorrectly attributed to a particular munition and many explosive effects – seen in footage and images falsely attributed to “mystery” or illegal weapons.

IMPORTANT UPDATE AND NOTE: The following is not a complete assessment and I require more data to verify first use. This is a surface level observation but it must be noted.

— Korobochka (コロボ) 🇦🇺✝️ (@cirnosad) March 11, 2026
☢️ The US used what appears to be, without additional details, a nuclear weapon on Iran delivered by a… pic.twitter.com/7ucJNdGyNi

The post appears to suggest that a nuclear explosion happened in Iran. Source: X/cirnosad

“The video does not show a nuclear explosion—something that I am astonished even needs to be clarified,” Dr NR Jenzen-Jones, Director of Armament Research Services, a weapons intelligence consultancy, told Bellingcat.

Mushroom clouds can form when explosions produce hot gases that quickly rise and encounter resistance from denser, colder air. (Clouds created by nuclear weapons can also vary significantly in appearance.)

“Certain types of explosive munitions, such as those working on the fuel-air explosive (FAE) and thermobaric principles, are particularly poorly understood by non-specialists. As a result, these and other types of munitions are routinely misidentified,” Jenzen-Jones said.

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Often posts about explosives are incorrect or inaccurate because of a lack of knowledge about how explosives work, but in other cases misinterpretations are deliberate. Joe Dyke, director of programmes at Airwars, told Bellingcat that deliberate disinformation that shifts responsibility of a strike is the most common they see, with posts often sharing flimsy but “scientific sounding” analysis.

Better understanding explosives can make it easier to identify misinformation surrounding explosions.

This guide explains explosives, their characteristics and the impact they have on people and infrastructure. We highlight the differences between thermobaric and Dense Inert Metal Explosives (DIME), two types of explosives that are frequently the subject of misinformation.

What Are Explosives?

Explosives are energetic materials capable of causing death and destruction through a rapid release of energy. The blast creates pressure waves emanating from the epicentre. These waves can directly kill or injure people and shatter objects into lethal fragments.

High explosives are typically used in warheads and shells; they differ from low explosives which are often used in rocket propellants. The supersonic speed of the explosive reaction- classified as detonation- also separates the two kinds of explosives. During detonation, temperatures can rise above 3,000 °C, but only briefly and very close to the reaction zone, Dr Sabrina Wahler, a Postdoctoral Scholar at the California Institute of Technology focusing on research of detonation products told Bellingcat.

The detonation creates a shockwave, which is a visible wave or bubble in high speed videos. The shockwave impacts people and objects before the sound of the blast can be heard.

The shockwave is the result of the pressure pushing air away from the blast in the positive phase. When the air rushes back in the negative phase, it creates a suction effect.

The shockwave arrival time, combined with a known distance, has been used to estimate the explosive weight of blasts, including the Beirut explosion in 2020.

Reactive materials, such as aluminium powder, are often added to explosives to improve performance. These metals react with the gaseous products from the detonation, resulting in increased energy output, Jacqueline Akhavan, a Professor of Explosive Chemistry at Cranfield University, told Bellingcat.

Sometimes, reactive metals such as aluminium from the explosive composition can be seen burning outside the fireball, indicating an explosive with reactive metal.

The size of a fireball does not necessarily indicate the blast’s power. In movies and airshows, a “Hollywood shot” involves igniting large amounts of gasoline with small amounts of explosives, creating spectacular fireballs with minimal pressure.

Thermobaric, and dense inert metal explosives (DIME), are other types of explosive compositions where metals are added to modify specific effects.

Thermobaric Explosives

In January 2024, after an attack in Gaza, social media posts appeared claiming that thermobaric explosives “literally sucks the air out of the children’s lungs and causes them to internally explode”. According to an article by Dr Rachel Lance, a biomedical engineer specialising in patterns of injury and trauma from explosions “there is no evidence that thermobarics pull the air out of the lungs”.

There were also claims that thermobaric weapons incinerate people. According to a report by the Armament Research Services, the effects of this type of explosion “are of the same nature as those expected from a conventional high explosive”. The only difference is that the duration of each effect is likely to be longer from a few milliseconds to tens of milliseconds and in a pressure wave with a lower peak.

This occurs because thermobaric explosives add a significant amount of fuel or reactive metals to the explosive composition. Some of the fuel burns after detonation. These munitions are effective against cave or bunker systems, as the pressure wave can travel further throughout the structure.

Visual differences can indicate the types of explosives used. Even within the same category, explosives may appear different because of variations in chemical composition, conditions where the explosion occurs, and video quality.

TÜBİTAK SAGE’den yerli termobarik patlayıcıda yeni bir adım daha!

— TÜBİTAK SAGE (@SageTubitak) March 5, 2020
Kapalı alanlarda yüksek darbe ve sıcaklık etkinliğine sahip yeni bir termobarik patlayıcı💥
TENDÜREK’ten sonra KOR ile geleneksel patlayıcılara göre 4 kat daha yüksek sıcaklık etkinliği 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/N4yZ8YvMi9

Comparison of KOR, a thermobaric explosive, and TNT, in a test by TÜBİTAK SAGE, a Turkish Defense Research Organization. Source: X/TÜBİTAK SAGE.

Many countries, including the US, Russia, China, Ukraine, Iran and Turkey, use enhanced blast and thermobaric explosives. Russia has used them in Ukraine and Syria. Israel uses munitions that have variants featuring thermobaric warheads, but the use of thermobaric explosives has not been confirmed.
Fuel-air explosives are similar to thermobaric explosives, but function differently. Both are volumetric weapons, but fuel-air explosives disperse a cloud of fuel, then the explosion occurs.

Dense Inert Metal Explosives

Unsubstantiated claims of DIME munitions have regularly surfaced since 2006, when they were first alleged to have been used in Gaza. Similar claims have reappeared in Gaza since the war began on Oct. 7, 2023.

Dense Inert Metal Explosives (DIME) are typically used in munitions intended to reduce civilian harm. Non-reactive metals, like tungsten, added to the explosives reduce the area impacted by the blast, but increase the power. Often munitions filled with DIME replace steel casing with carbon fibre to reduce fragmentation.

Some sources refer to DIME as a multiphase blast explosive, a term that also covers some explosives with reactive metals. Photos from testing show mannequins near the blast coated in tungsten powder.

Some claims of DIME use in Gaza mention the presence of powder or microscopic shrapnel found on victims. “Peppering” and “tattooing” are mentioned (warning: graphic content) as common injuries in blast victims, where the explosion propels small debris like sand into the body, along with fragments of various sizes.

The US Air Force has accepted delivery of at least 500 DIME-filled GBU-39A/B bombs, and has used at least 23 in combat. No transfers of GBU-39 A/B FLM bombs from the US to any other country, including Israel, have been reported, and a Bellingcat analysis of GBU-39 strikes in Gaza between October 2023 and January 2026 did not find any evidence of this variant being used.
There is currently no conclusive evidence that militaries aside from the US have used DIME in combat.

Clues From Clouds

Clouds, and the colours of the smoke can provide clues about the type of explosive. However, chemical composition, environmental conditions, and location can all affect how explosions appear.

Clouds

This footage, originally posted on social media in November 2025, shows an explosion in Gaza.

The Israeli army launched thermobaric and pressure bombs, supplied by the United States, on Gaza. These bombs, which burn at a temperature of 3,500 degrees Celsius, are capable of killing thousands in seconds, leaving no trace. pic.twitter.com/pZhoIfsazP

— China pulse 🇨🇳 (@Eng_china5) February 12, 2026

Video of an explosion in Gaza, falsely attributed as a thermobaric weapon. Source: X/@Eng_china5.

The visible cloud in the video is a condensation or Wilson cloud, caused by an explosive shockwave interacting with humid air. This same effect is visible in videos of the Beirut explosion in 2020, when ammonium nitrate exploded at the port after a fire.

Another view of the explosions in Beirut pic.twitter.com/efT5VlpMkj

— Borzou Daragahi 🖊🗒 (@borzou) August 4, 2020

Video of the 2020 Beirut ammonium nitrate explosion. Source: X/Borzou Daragahi.

Smoke colours

Colours in the smoke of an explosion can help identify the gases, which in turn can help identify the explosive material, Dr Rachel Lance told Bellingcat. “Yellow, orange, and red tones each indicate the presence of specific chemicals.”

Black smoke means “the bomb produced a lot of fire and inefficiency, because materials burned instead of detonated, and was probably a homemade or improvised explosive”. White or light grey smoke indicates “an efficient detonation, and that tells us it was a pure, high-grade material inside,” Lance said.

Some munitions, like cruise or ballistic missiles, may have efficient high explosives, as well as low explosive propellants or fuel. The area targeted, such as buildings, may lead to dust or debris that obscure the gases created by the explosion. 
In some cases, multiple bright fireballs are launched into the sky, accompanied by a rapid humming or throbbing sound and bright flashes. This typically happens when solid-fuel rocket motors, like those in air defence or ballistic missiles, are burning or exploding.

Major secondary explosions after a U.S. airstrike in the vicinity of Higuerote Airport in Venezuela tonight. pic.twitter.com/NrFOVj9IfM

— OSINTtechnical (@Osinttechnical) January 3, 2026

Venezuelan Buk Air Defense System rocket motors ‘cooking off’ after being targeted by US strikes in Jan. 2026. Source: X/Osinttechnical.

Geolocation

Geolocation of the explosion site can help identify or rule out potential explanations. Large explosions can be caused by much smaller bombs hitting storage sites or production sites for ammo. The geolocation of the video below indicated that the location hit was a storage area for missiles.

Qom today looks like it was hit by a GBU 57 bunker buster.

— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 11, 2026
The GBU 57 Massive Ordnance Penetrator is a 30,000 pound bunker busting bomb designed to penetrate deep underground before detonating. pic.twitter.com/d4bGJ19nQb

Video shared by a user claiming this video shows the use of a GBU-57 “Massive Ordnance Penetrator”. A now-suspended user claimed the video showed the “Mother of All Bombs”. Source: Osint613.

Blast Effects on People

Misinformation regarding blast effects on people might lead to reports of harm to be wrongly dismissed or false claims about mystery weapons to spread.

In February 2026, claims of “vaporisation” or disintegration of people due to thermobaric weapon explosions appeared online. Days later, counterclaims argued that explosives can’t “disintegrate” people and thermal effects were not responsible.

According to multiple studies, even less powerful explosives can cause disintegration. When explosions occur in enclosed spaces, such as inside a building, they reflect shock waves, leading to increased blast effects.

Blast injuries are generally classified into four categories, based on what mechanism is causing the injuries.

The primary effect, the blast itself, “puts tremendous strains on human tissue, causing them to rip and tear, both internally and externally, so massive internal bleeding can occur,” Brian Castner, a weapons investigator for Amnesty International, told Bellingcat.
Primary injuries can lead to a variety of symptoms, including vertigo, vomiting blood, and bleeding from the ears. A viral post shared by the White House Press Secretary claimed to be firsthand testimony from a Venezuelan security guard following US strikes in Venezuela. The post alleged that the US used a sonic weapon without any supporting evidence, and the symptoms described are typical of primary blast injuries.

The secondary effect results from the metal fragments of the munition. Some weapons are specifically designed to break into uniform small pieces, Castner said. “Even small fragments, the size of a bullet, can break a bone, since the metal is flying through the air so quickly,” the weapons investigator explained.

Even single fragments can injure or kill people hundreds of metres away from a blast. People close to it may be largely disintegrated, often described (warning: graphic content) as “total body disruption” in Forensic Medicine.

“Combined, these blast and fragmentary effects can do horrific damage to the human body, and if a person is close enough to a large munitions detonation, leave little trace they ever existed,” Castner told Bellingcat.
A recent Bellingcat investigation into three specific US-made munitions used in Gaza found videos showing small pieces of human bodies consistent with total body disruption, at several different strikes within the dataset.

Explosions can also cause burns or thermal injuries. Temperature is not the most relevant factor, because “by the time a human body is exposed to the temperatures of a burning explosive, people will have severe trauma and death,” Dr Lance told Bellingcat.
In many real-world cases “the blast pressure reaches farther than the thermal flash,” Dr Sabrina Wahler said. “The thermal danger becomes much larger and longer lasting when the explosion occurs in a confined space, when the formulation supports continued burning with air, or when the detonation triggers secondary fires that keep generating heat well after the initial blast,” she noted.

Flash burns are often seen on exposed parts of the body close to the blast (warning: graphic content). Explosions that start fires or contain incendiary materials can result in severe burns.

Are These Explosives Legal?

Misinformation often raises questions about legality, with false claims that specific weapons are inherently illegal or misrepresenting how they work. This is one of the reasons that nations conduct legal reviews of new weapons, Michael Meier, a former Senior Advisor to the Army Judge Advocate General for Law of War, and current Adjunct Professor at Georgetown University Law Center, told Bellingcat.

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Thermobarics and DIME are legal if their use complies with specific principles of international humanitarian law (IHL) and the law of armed conflict (LOAC), such as proportionate and discriminate use, experts told Bellingcat.

“Even lawful weapons can be used in an unlawful manner”, Michael Meier said. One example is when they are directed against civilians or when they are used in a manner that breaches the principles of distinction or proportionality, he explained.

“The law’s ability to prevent harm is constrained by the compromises between military necessity and humanity made in its creation,” Dr Arthur van Coller, Professor of International Humanitarian Law at the STADIO Higher Education and a legal expert on thermobaric explosives, told Bellingcat.

“As a result, weapons that cause immense destruction may remain lawful (even nuclear weapons) if they fit within legal definitions, even when their humanitarian impact is severe,” van Coller explained.