A viral montage circulating across social media platforms claims to show leaked surveillance camera footage from inside Iran’s military and nuclear facilities during Israeli airstrikes. Amid the renewed discussion on Iran-Israel tensions, many users believed it to be genuine. However, our research revealed that this claim is mostly false.
social media posts
Multiple accounts on Facebook reshared versions of the same montage, often with the caption “Leaked footage from Iran’s nuclear facility.”
Source | Archive
Source | Archive
fact check
3 out of 4 clips are generated by AI
We began our investigation by tracing the origin of the video using reverse image search and discovered that the entire four-part montage first appeared on @kaabusia. This account frequently posted AI-generated or satirical conflict content. The account has previously spread debunked videos, including AI-fabricated scenes about child marriage and Iranian military failures.
BBC Verify journalist Shayan Sardarizadeh publicly debunked the montage, identifying visual anomalies and the account’s past record of spreading disinformation.
According to Sardarizadeh’s review, only the third clip is real (it was previously aired on Iranian state television), while the rest are AI-generated fakes. The fake clips show visual defects such as incorrect military uniforms, distorted hands and objects on desks, personnel working normally during the explosion, and undamaged surveillance cameras.
Our analysis identified several technical anomalies that are consistent with AI-generated content. In several frames, the lighting behavior appears to be inconsistent with the real CCTV footage. Explosive flash produces uniform illumination across a scene rather than the directional light and shadow pattern typically captured by security cameras.
The movement of the debris exhibits different characteristics than physically expected, appearing to float or drift without the motion blur or gravitational effects observed in real footage.
A digital clock visible in the background displays a number format that appears to be irregular and inconsistently rendered. This is an inherent limitation observed in generative AI systems when reproducing accurate numerical representations.
We also used Was it AI, an AI image detection tool, to evaluate the potential for AI generation. The results further strengthened the evidence by showing that three of the four clips were likely generated by AI.
Only the third clip is authentic but misrepresented
The third part, featuring a briefing room reacting to a remote explosion, is authentic footage aired by Iranian state broadcaster SSN television on November 29, 2025. This shows damage caused by an attack on an air defense facility near Tabriz, not a nuclear facility.
This was published as part of post-ceasefire coverage, according to independent confirmation by media outlets such as Ynetnews. There is no evidence depicting a nuclear facility, and internal surveillance cameras at such facilities have never been publicly leaked.
Background: Actual June 2025 Strike
Israel’s Operation Rising Lion began on June 13, 2025, targeting Iran’s nuclear program, ballistic missile bases, and energy infrastructure to halt uranium enrichment.
The operation targeted several key locations. At Natanz, the underground enrichment facility suffered extensive damage and centrifuges were destroyed, setting back Iran’s nuclear capabilities by several years. On June 22, both Fordow and Isfahan enrichment and research facilities were attacked by U.S. B-2 bombers carrying 30,000 pounds of bunker buster munitions. The attack caused heavy losses on both sides, including several senior Iranian military officials, including Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Hossein Salami, while Iranian retaliatory missile and drone strikes resulted in approximately 28 casualties on the Israeli side. (Source: CNN, JINSA)
Iran launched about 574 ballistic missiles and 1,100 drones toward Israel, most of which were intercepted by defense systems. A US military base in Qatar was also targeted. A ceasefire brokered by the United States went into effect on June 24, 2025 (source). Verified surveillance camera footage from the nuclear facility has not been made public. Available official footage documented damage to external structures, but not internal control room operations. The IAEA has not reported any radioactive contamination, but has documented significant damage to Iran’s nuclear infrastructure (source).
The circulation of this video is consistent with documented instances of AI-generated content related to conflict. CBS News documented the spread of digitally fabricated videos during this period, including fake footage of events such as the Tehran prison fire.
conclusion
A viral video claiming to show leaked surveillance camera footage from an Iranian nuclear facility is misleading. Three of the four clips included in the montage are AI-generated hoaxes, and one genuine segment is misrepresented, showing a briefing room responding to an attack on an air defense facility near Tabriz rather than a nuclear facility. Israel carried out a major attack on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure during Operation Rising Lion in June 2025, but verified internal surveillance footage of the nuclear facility has not been released, and the viral video came from an account known for spreading AI-generated disinformation.
title:Viral video claiming ‘leaked footage’ of Israel’s attack on Iranian nuclear facilities is misleading
Fact Checker: Cielito Wang
result: misleading
