“Crazy video of Iranian cluster warhead missile hitting Teb Aviv hard (chic),” a Facebook post published on March 3, 2026, has been shared more than 170 times.
The post includes a clip showing a barrage of missiles hitting a densely populated urban area, leaving a trail of smoke.
Screenshot of a false Facebook post taken on March 5, 2026. AI symbols added by AFP
The video has also been widely shared in other languages, including French, Arabic, Spanish, and German.
Tel Aviv has been targeted several times by both Iran and its ally the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah since the war began on February 28, 2026 (archive here).
The Iranian National Martyrs and Veterans Foundation, run by the Iranian government, announced on March 4, 2026 that more than 1,200 people have been killed so far (see archive here). AFP has not been able to confirm this.
The war spread to other Gulf states, including Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Azerbaijan (archived here, here, and here).
However, the video, which claims to show a missile attack on Tel Aviv, does not accurately depict current events.
AI generated video
A reverse image search using the clip’s keyframes did not find any reliable media reports or other visuals that matched the video’s scenes. An AFP correspondent on the ground also did not witness the supposed attack.
However, this video contains some visual inconsistencies typical of AI-generated content.
The post does not include details of when or where the video was taken, but it appears to show an oddly positioned Israeli flag hanging by itself on the balcony.
In AI-generated content, flags often appear when a country is mentioned in a prompt. This is to provide a quick visual clue.
Screenshot showing a flag hanging alone on a balcony (taken on March 5, 2026)
The footage gives the impression that it was recorded using a cell phone, zooming in at the beginning to focus on the area of missile impact. However, when you zoom out, the cars take on a distorted shape, with some appearing stuck together and others appearing half-formed.
Screenshot showing a distorted car in the video (taken on March 4, 2026). AI symbol added by AFP
Curiously, this video does not include the sound of air raid sirens that can be heard in videos of other air raids on Israel.
The roofs of the buildings appear to have unusually uniform solar panels placed in precise locations on each building, some of which appear distorted.
Screenshot showing distorted solar panels on a building. AI symbol added by AFP
In addition, the smoke trail from the missile is also broken in several places.
Screenshot showing broken smoke trails (taken on March 5, 2026)
Finally, two construction cranes suddenly appear in the footage as you zoom in on the collision area.
Screenshot showing construction crane in false video taken on March 5, 2026
Analysis of the video using the Hive Moderation AI detection tool suggests that it was digitally created 99% of the time.
Screenshot of video analysis results using Hive AI detection tool (taken on March 5, 2026)
AFP Fact Check also debunked this claim in French, revealing that X’s AI chatbot Grok helped amplify the video. When a French user asked about the authenticity of the clip, the company reiterated that “the video is real.”
This isn’t the first time a chatbot has made such an error. We previously provided incorrect information about the Gaza conflict (archived here).
Find more debunked claims about the ongoing Middle East wars here.
