CLAIM: A Facebook reel showed footage of military strikes on Iran.
RATING: FALSE
A Facebook reel using AI-generated videos and clips taken from a video game advertisement has gone viral online after falsely portraying a supposed United States missile strike on Iran amid escalating tensions in the Middle East.
Flagged content: Facebook user “share of love” posted the reel on May 5 showing clips of military vessels and fighter jets firing rockets towards various targets.
- While neither the caption nor the video itself mentioned where the footage was supposedly recorded, the numerous hashtags contained mentions of Iran and the Middle East.
- The reel showed snippets of a battleship firing missiles, an AI-generated video of a US Navy convoy and clip of a fighter jet engaging in ground attack.
Our debunk: The first part of the clip came from war simulation video games such as “World of Warships” or “War Thunder” which allowed players to “use” decommissioned class warships and battleships.
- AI-detection tool Hive Moderation found the clip of the US Navy convoy to be 99.6% AI-generated.
Rewind: The post coincided with US’ intensifying attacks against Iran that started February 2026 dubbed the “Operation Epic Fury.”
- On April 8, both the US and Iran agreed to a two week ceasefire.
- As of publishing, the situation remains fragile and both countries are still involved in intense negotiations.
Why we fact-checked this: As of writing, the video had amassed more than 400,000 views, with 8,800 likes, 269 comments, and 447 shares.
Spot the fake: As the situation remains fragile in the Middle East, it is important for the public to distinguish what is real and what is fake amidst widespread speculation on the situation.
- Use free AI detection tools available online to help identify whether a video, image, or audio clip may have been digitally generated or manipulated.
- Always follow reliable documents, accounts and reports particular to specific military operations that are often covert and filled with propaganda. Hurt Allauigan, with reports from Jauzen Juan
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