I've been teaching Photoshop for over 20 years and have worked with many media organizations. You may know your missiles but I know Photoshop and image retouching as well as video special effects. After looking at the photos there is no evidence common to retouching. More importantly there is no reason for anyone to fabricate that image, especially a Reuters source.
Here are other images of that launch:
https://www.voanews.com/a/libyan-islamists-increase-condemnationof-us-airstrikes/3451370.html
https://www.jpost.com/Magazine/Hot-off-the-Arab-press-463862
You now have to argue that someone went to a lot of trouble to fabricate 4 different views of the same launch for a highly respected news organization. Or that just one of those four images is fake. What would be the purpose of such a fabrication? Why would someone take the time and energy to do that?
You make it clear that you don't think much of news organizations. I can tell you from having worked with many news photographers over the years the number one thing they have to protect is their integrity as to the source of the image. If the source was ISIS that would be suspect.
Think what you want but those are real images.
Tony