AI-generated videos of 'destruction in Tel Aviv' falsely linked to Israel-Iran conflict
"This is not AI, this is the real Tel Aviv airport," reads the Thai-language caption of a video purportedly showing a heavily damaged airport shared on Facebook on June 15, 2025.
It goes on to say users can verify the clip's authenticity using AI chatbots such as Grok -- a technique that has proven unreliable (archived link).
Arabic-language text in the video's top-right corner says, "Tel Aviv".
A similar video, purportedly showing damaged and crumbling buildings, shared on Instagram by a Pakistan-based user on June 14 is captioned: "A glimpse of Tel Aviv, the Zionist war-mongers' capital."
The posts emerged after Israel struck Iranian nuclear and military facilities with a barrage of missiles on June 13, killing several top officials and prompting a counter-attack by Iran (archived here and here).
Israel said the attacks aimed to prevent its arch-rival from acquiring atomic weapons -- a charge Tehran denies.
The longtime foes have continued trading deadly fire in their most intense confrontation in history, fuelling fears of a drawn-out conflict that could engulf the Middle East (archived link).
Iran's health ministry said at least 224 people have been killed and more than 1,200 wounded, while Israel's prime minister's office says at least 24 people have been killed and 592 others injured.
The videos purportedly showing the damage inflicted on Israel were also shared in similar posts on Facebook, Instagram and X.
While barrages of missiles and drones from Iran have hit Israeli cities and towns, the circulating videos do not depict the damage caused by the strikes.
A reverse image search using keyframes from the falsely shared videos led to the same clips posted on a TikTok account that produces AI-generated content (archived link).
The user did not respond to AFP's enquiries about the videos.
The clip misrepresented as showing "Tel Aviv airport" was posted by the account on May 27 -- before Israel launched its surprise aerial campaign (archived link).
While Israel has closed its airspace, keyword searches found no official reports of its main international airport being badly damaged by the fighting (archived link).
A comparison of the falsely circulating video with Google Maps imagery of the airport near Tel Aviv also shows their layouts and surrounding landscapes do not match (archived link).
The video purportedly showing the damage caused to buildings in Tel Aviv was shared by the same TikTok account on June 14, with the hashtag "South Lebanon" (archived link).
A closer analysis of the video also shows that some of the vehicles driving around the damaged buildings and rubble appear to phase in and pass through one another.
Although generative AI technology is improving rapidly, visual inconsistencies persist and are the best way to identify fabricated content.
AFP has debunked other misinformation related to the Israel-Iran conflict here.
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