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AFP
3 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Old video falsely claimed to show recent Israeli strikes on Iran
'Scenes of Israeli missiles falling on the Iranian capital, Tehran,' reads the caption on a video published on Facebook on June 13, shortly after Israel launched air strikes on Iran. The post was shared more than 40 times before it was deleted. Image Screenshot of the false Facebook post The video appears to show rockets falling from the sky, identified by a red flash and rising smoke. Israel's strikes on June 13, 2025, killed the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Mohammad Bagheri, and senior Revolutionary Guards commanders Hossein Salami and Gholam Ali Rashid (archived here). According to Iranian media, top nuclear scientists were also killed. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised the attack (archived here). 'We carried out a very successful opening strike,' he said in a video message. 'We have hit the senior command, we have hit senior scientists who are promoting the development of atomic bombs, we have hit nuclear facilities.' Explosions were reported across the city of Tehran throughout the morning of June 13. Subsequent Israeli attacks have since killed Iran's top military commander, Ali Shadmani, the closest figure to supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (archived here). Iran has retaliated by launching several waves of missiles at Israel (archived here). However, the claim that the Facebook video shows a recent Israeli air strike is false. Old footage Using the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify, we conducted a reverse image search on keyframes from the video. This revealed that the same footage was previously posted online more than eight months ago. The video was published by several local and international media outlets (here, here, and here), which described it as showing an Iranian strike on Israel that took place on October 1, 2024 (archived here, here, and here). The strike targeted several Israeli airbases including Nevatim, one of Israel's largest bases (archived here). Image Satellite image from October 2, 2024 showing Israel's Nevatim airbase damaged by Iranian strikes on Oct 1, 2024 (AFP / Valentina BRESCHI, Olivia BUGAULT) On October 1, 2024, Iran fired approximately 180 rockets into Israel (archived here) in response to the killings of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, and the Iranian commander of the Quds Force in Lebanon, Abbas Nilvoroshan – all attributed to Israel. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked other claims relating to the same video, including the claim that it shows a Pakistani missile attack on India.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Old video from Kenya misrepresented as crackdown on LA immigration protests
A post published on Facebook on June 8, 2025, reads: 'Trump deploys National Guard to LA immigration 'riots' after claiming state officials 'can't do their jobs'.' 'California Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed that the Trump administration is deploying '2,000 soldiers' to Los Angeles after local police used tear gas, stun guns, and riot shields to push back immigration protesters on Saturday,' the caption adds. The post was shared more than 1,300 times. The video features three clips: two showing water cannons being used to disperse protesters, one coloured with pink dye, and a third of tear gas being used on a busy street. Shouting can be heard in the background as demonstrators run for cover. Similar posts containing the video were also shared on X, with captions written in Arabic here and here. 'This is the freedom of expression that America boasts about ... and is using it against the demonstrators in Los Angeles,' reads one of the X posts. The claims followed protests that began on June 6, 2025, in the US city of Los Angeles, against recent immigration raids (archived here). In response, Trump deployed over 2,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 members of the US Marines, a force primarily trained for foreign wars (archived here and here). However, posts claiming to depict how the LA protesters were dispersed with water cannons are false. A reverse image search using keyframes generated by the InVID-WeVerify verification tool revealed that the same video, containing the three clips, was previously posted on June 28, 2024, by another Facebook user, who captioned the post 'Kenya' (archived here). A keyword search on X for protests in Kenya led to other posts showing similar scenes taking place in what appears to be the same location. One such post included a reposted TikTok video with a text overlay reading 'Nairobi Kenyatta Avenue' (archived here). NAIROBI, KENYA: If this isn't a revolution by a sufficiently fed-up population, tell me what is. From imposing Bill Gates' GMOs on them to banning the dissemination of healthy organic seeds to now the so called #FinanceBilll. The people have had enough. And that's how you show an… — J. C. Okechukwu (@jcokechukwu) June 22, 2024 A Google Earth search pinpointed the location of the video to Koinange Street, which intersects with Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi's Central Business District. A comparison of the Facebook video with Google Earth street view imagery reveals that the video clips were flipped. When the street view image is also flipped for accurate comparison, distinctive features, including the blue building and a bend on the road match the first clip of the Facebook video's location. In the last clip from the Facebook video, the same billboard placement can be seen on a tall building, which we identified as Telposta Towers. Additionally, the red structure visible in the clip, confirmed to be a public smoking zone via Google Street View, can be seen along the same street. Additionally, an AFP photograph taken on June 25, 2024, shows Kenyan police using water cannons with pink dye on protesters. Protests erupted in Kenya in June 2024, occasioned by the finance bill, which proposed tax hikes. The bill triggered weeks of demonstrations that spiralled into violent and deadly clashes with police (archived here). AFP Fact Check has previously debunked another claim about the same video in a similar context here.
AFP
3 days ago
- Politics
- AFP
Old video from Kenya misrepresented as crackdown on LA immigration protests
Following several days of anti-deportation protests in Los Angeles and other major US cities in June 2025, President Donald Trump deployed security forces to crack down on the demonstrations, resulting in clashes between police and protestors. A video clip was shared on Facebook, purportedly showing authorities in LA using water cannons and tear gas on demonstrators. However, this is false; the video shows protests that took place in Kenya in June 2024. AFP Fact Check debunked the same video earlier this year. A post published on Facebook on June 8, 2025, reads: 'Trump deploys National Guard to LA immigration 'riots' after claiming state officials 'can't do their jobs'.' 'California Governor Gavin Newsom confirmed that the Trump administration is deploying '2,000 soldiers' to Los Angeles after local police used tear gas, stun guns, and riot shields to push back immigration protesters on Saturday,' the caption adds. The post was shared more than 1,300 times. Image Screenshot of false Facebook post, taken June 13, 2025 The video features three clips: two showing water cannons being used to disperse protesters, one coloured with pink dye, and a third of tear gas being used on a busy street. Shouting can be heard in the background as demonstrators run for cover. Similar posts containing the video were also shared on X, with captions written in Arabic here and here. 'This is the freedom of expression that America boasts about ... and is using it against the demonstrators in Los Angeles,' reads one of the X posts. The claims followed protests that began on June 6, 2025, in the US city of Los Angeles, against recent immigration raids (archived here). In response, Trump deployed over 2,000 National Guard soldiers and 700 members of the US Marines, a force primarily trained for foreign wars (archived here and here). However, posts claiming to depict how the LA protesters were dispersed with water cannons are false. Video from Kenya A reverse image search using keyframes generated by the InVID-WeVerify verification tool revealed that the same video, containing the three clips, was previously posted on June 28, 2024, by another Facebook user, who captioned the post 'Kenya' (archived here). A keyword search on X for protests in Kenya led to other posts showing similar scenes taking place in what appears to be the same location. One such post included a reposted TikTok video with a text overlay reading 'Nairobi Kenyatta Avenue' (archived here). NAIROBI, KENYA: If this isn't a revolution by a sufficiently fed-up population, tell me what is. From imposing Bill Gates' GMOs on them to banning the dissemination of healthy organic seeds to now the so called #FinanceBilll. The people have had enough. And that's how you show an… — J. C. Okechukwu (@jcokechukwu) June 22, 2024 A Google Earth search pinpointed the location of the video to Koinange Street, which intersects with Kenyatta Avenue in Nairobi's Central Business District. A comparison of the Facebook video with Google Earth street view imagery reveals that the video clips were flipped. When the street view image is also flipped for accurate comparison, distinctive features, including the blue building and a bend on the road match the first clip of the Facebook video's location. Image Screenshots comparing the first video clip from the false post (left) and flipped Google Earth street view (right) In the last clip from the Facebook video, the same billboard placement can be seen on a tall building, which we identified as Telposta Towers. Additionally, the red structure visible in the clip, confirmed to be a public smoking zone via Google Street View, can be seen along the same street. Image Screenshots comparing the third video clip from the false post (left) and flipped Google Earth street view (right) Additionally, an AFP photograph taken on June 25, 2024, shows Kenyan police using water cannons with pink dye on protesters. Image Protesters run for cover as a Kenya Police water cannon truck fires coloured water at them (AFP / Luis TATO) Protests erupted in Kenya in June 2024, occasioned by the finance bill, which proposed tax hikes. The bill triggered weeks of demonstrations that spiralled into violent and deadly clashes with police (archived here). AFP Fact Check has previously debunked another claim about the same video in a similar context here.
AFP
11-06-2025
- Business
- AFP
Doctored clip gives false impression Ethiopian leader asked citizens to pay off country's debt
The text accompanying the video post in Amharic reads: 'Dear Ethiopians, please be ready to contribute cash for foreign debt repayment.' Image Screenshot of the altered post, taken on June 5, 2025 'Guys make ready 71,000 each,' adds the text overlay on the video. The post was published on May 29, 2025, and has been shared more than 370 times. It contains a clip more than a minute long in which Abiy is seen speaking at a gathering. 'Dear Ethiopians living in our country and Ethiopian citizens living in different foreign countries,' Abiy appears to say. 'We have reached a consensus that every Ethiopian should contribute to the repayment of Ethiopia's foreign debt.' He continues: 'Therefore, every Ethiopian and everyone who holds Ethiopian citizenship must contribute 71,000 Ethiopian Birr or 571 dollars. All Ethiopians need to support us to achieve our goals actively.' Footage of a protest follows and then the video switches back to what appears to be Abiy's speech. 'Concern for Ethiopia cannot be expressed through talks alone. Neither can media campaigns. Love for Ethiopia is best expressed through action.' Abiy purportedly adds: 'If you love Ethiopia and you care about Ethiopia, its foreign debt should be repaid immediately.' Some users left angry comments. 'Didn't you give Sudan 60 million dollars as a loan last time? It would have been better if you had paid part of the debt,' wrote one. 'Better sell the new extravagant palace and pay back the debt,' said another. In November 2024, Ethiopia granted South Sudan a loan of more than $738 million (archived here). Abiy has also initiated a multi-billion-dollar project for building a new palace in Addis Ababa (archived here). The posts were also shared here and here on Facebook. Ethiopia's debt In July 2024, Ethiopia launched an economic reform programme by moving to market-determined exchange rates and introducing a new interest-based monetary policy (archived here). As a result, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved $3.4 billion in aid. The country is suffering from high foreign debt, with about $30 billion on the books this year. It has been negotiating with its creditors since 2021 to have part of the debt repayments cancelled (archived here). In March 2025, the country reached an agreement in principle with its creditors to restructure part of its debt totalling $8.4 billion. However, Abyi's speech, in which he allegedly calls on his fellow citizens to contribute cash to repay the foreign debt, was created by artificial intelligence (AI). Forensics centre launching AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video. The results revealed that a longer video was published on the official YouTube channel of Gazette Plus, part of the Ethiopian News Agency (ENA), on November 16, 2024 (archived here). This footage, more than 16 minutes long, shows a news report on the launch of a new Ethiopian federal police forensics centre of excellence. 'The Federal Police has been equipped with modern technologies as part of the ongoing reform,' reads the video's caption in Amharic. The video begins with a news anchor discussing the reform of the federal police's security and intelligence, followed by a marching band performing in front of Abiy. At 1'20', Abiy begins speaking in Amharic and says: 'The Federal Police Forensic Centre of Excellence that we are opening today is the result of the reforms we have carried out in the last five years.' He adds: 'We have worked tirelessly to modernise our country's law enforcement agencies, organise them in terms of knowledge, human resources and technological advancement and realise the sustainability of our great country.' Abiy says that the forensic centre is equipped with facilities that enable it to conduct DNA examinations and other investigations. At no point does Abiy call on Ethiopians to contribute money to repay foreign debts. He does not address Ethiopia's debt at all. Artificially-generated speech The false Facebook post used two segments from Abiy's original speech – at 5'03'-5'28' and 11'40'-11'51' – and replaced them with artificially created audio. While the words are spoken in Amharic, the accent is irregular, as are the pronunciations of some words. For example, 'Ethiopia' and 'Ethiopian' are pronounced as 'Utubia' and 'Utubian'. There are also clear discrepancies between the words and Abiy's lip movements. For example, Abiy's mouth barely moves when he says '..every Ethiopian and everyone who holds Ethiopian citizenship..'. Image Screenshots of the original video (left) and the altered version. Taken on June 5, 2025 AFP Fact Check also ran the audio through an audio deepfake detector called DeepfakeTotal. Image Screenshot of the results generated by DeepfakeTotal. Taken on June 9, 2025 The results showed a more than 85 percent probability that the audio was artificially created. AFP Fact Check has previously debunked AI-generated videos on a range of topics in Ethiopia, such as here, here and here.
AFP
27-05-2025
- Politics
- AFP
Video of Pope Leo XIV denouncing Vance is fake
"Vance, you say you hope Biden recovers soon, yet you attack him with such cold, calculated words. It's hard to believe someone like you is part of the US government," Pope Leo XIV appears to say in the clip, which was shared in a May 23, 2025 post on Instagram. "As an American-born pope, my heart is full of concern and sorrow," the audio continues. "Looking back at some of the policies Mr. Vance has put forward, it seems he's forgotten the most basic principle of human compassion, placing people in difficult and painful situations. This runs completely counter to the teachings we hold dear." Flashing between shots of the pope speaking and clips of Vance and Biden, the minute-long video goes on to feature what sounds like the pope's voice saying Vance should have offered Biden "sympathy and blessings" and must "let go of hostility and approach others with tolerance." Image Screenshot from Instagram taken May 27, 2025 The same video spread across Instagram and TikTok after Biden's office announced May 18 that he had been diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer which had reached his bones. The posts reference Vance's comments after Biden's diagnosis, which stoked allegations of a cover-up surrounding the Democrat's health. Speaking following a May 19 visit with Pope Leo, Vance wished Biden a recovery while also saying, "We really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job." he was chosen May 8 to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics, Pope Leo used a personal X account to opine on a range of hot-button issues. y included the amplification of articles criticizing Vance and US President Donald Trump, particularly on the topic of migration. In one instance, he reposted a headline and a link to an essay saying Vance was "wrong" to quote Catholic doctrine to support the administration's cancellation of foreign aid. But the video purporting to show blasting Vance over his reaction to Biden's cancer is fake. A TikTok watermark on the video reveals it was first posted to the platform May 20 alongside a label indicating it was AI-generated. AFP's analysis of the audio using the voice cloning detection tool in the Verification Plugin, also known as InVID-WeVerify, found it is likely AI-generated. Siwei Lyu, director of the University at Buffalo's Media Forensic Lab (archived here), said his own analysis of the audio likewise determined that it "has a high likelihood of being AI-generated, and produced using a text-to-speech or voice cloning model." "The tone is overly smooth and consistently calm, resembling scripted delivery typical of synthetic speech," Lyu told AFP in a May 24 "Also, which is another sign that it may be AI-generated," he added. Keyword searches for the returned no matching quotes in the Vatican's transcripts or in news articles. The footage of the pope appears to have been pulled from his May 10 remarks to cardinals -- delivered in Italian -- about why he chose papal name (archived here). He can be seen wearing the same and standing before the same background as in the deepfake shared online. AFP contacted the Vatican for comment, but no response was forthcoming. AFP has debunked other misinformation about the pope here.
