In an escalation late June 21, the US B-2 spirit stealth bombers joined Israeli forces on a surprising strike against Iran's nuclear infrastructure, dropping massive Ford, Natanz and Isfahan bunkerbuster bombs as part of what civil servants call Operation Midnight Hammer.
After an 18-hour secret mission, seven B-2s returned to Missouri, urging the Pentagon to declare the operation “an epic military success.” On June 23, Tehran began a retaliatory missile strike against Al-Udeid Air Base in Qatar.
As news of the US strike spread, social media platforms quickly flooded with dramatic videos aimed at showing the bombing. However, many of these have been digitally manipulated or misused. DW FactCheck investigated several viral clips.
Viral AI generation videos of explosions near the city have nothing to do with our bombing
Claim: “A US missile hits Iran,” Tiktok wrote. Users show massive explosions near or inside the city, indicating mushroom-shaped smoke rising into the sky. Other versions of the same video have appeared on platforms like X And YouTubereach millions of users in different languages.
DW Fact Check: fake
The video is generated by artificial intelligence and has nothing to do with the actual US strike at Iranian nuclear sites.
The earliest known source for a clip is a social media account that clearly states that all content is generated by AI in its description. Keyframe reverse image search shows footage online a few days before the operation and there are some posts They then falsely claim that it portrayed an Iranian missile strike against Israel.
There are multiple visual indicators that the video is not authentic. For example, glow from an explosion cannot cast realistic light or reflections on nearby buildings or smoke. The city layout includes Soviet-style buildings that are not characteristic of Iranian cities. Furthermore, Iran's nuclear facilities targeting strikes are not located near the large urban centres as depicted here.
Video of the volcanic eruption claims to show the aftermath of US bombing in Iran
Claim: The video shows a massive pile of smoke allegedly rising from nuclear sites bombed by the US and is shared on several platforms, including Tiktokusers have added “Good Morning Iran from B-2 Spirit.”
The video opens on a village road surrounded by dense greenery, leaning upwards, revealing towering columns of smoke.
DW Fact Check: error
This footage has nothing to do with military activity. It shows a volcanic eruption in Indonesia. Reverse image search confirms that the video first appeared online last weekand was part of the broader coverage of the eruption. Many photos and videos of the same volcanic event can be found online.
The scenery is another prize. The roads are adjacent to tropical forests, and the scene has nothing to do with the semi-arid, desert-like environment of Iran's nuclear facilities.
The video claims it shows that the B-2 bomber is being shot down
Claim: Footage circulating on Tiktok and YouTube on Monday morning shows an American B-2 stealth bomber shooting down Iran during a US bombing raid at Ford's Iranian nuclear facility over the weekend.
The video has gained over 70,000 viewers on the Tiktok channel This caused me to post other clearly AI-inducing videos before they were removed.
DW Fact Check: error
Both the footage and the complaint are fake. Aside from the fact that the Pentagon officially confirmed that seven B-2s and their crew were all returned safely on Sunday, along with major international news outlets, including the BBC.CBS And the Associated Press Carrying footage of their return has several aspects of social media videos that reveal that they will be manipulated.
Reverse image searches for various screenshots revealed that the same footage had previously been uploaded to YouTube channels In addition to the claims, “Iran shoots down a US B-2 plane.” Disclaimerpointing out that the content is “changed or composited.”
Other reverse image search results lead to different videos of zigzag flight paths taken by anti-aircraft missiles. It appears to be the same as the missile filmed on the original video. The video features a disclaimer pointing out that “This video is footage of a game just for fun.”
Certainly, a closer look at the original frame suggests that the air-prevention system that launches missiles is placed in animated terrain and in a landscape that does not reflect the reality of what we know about the Ford raid. The attack took place in the middle of the night, local time, in mountainous areas rather than in sunlight, not grassy fields.
Outside the context of our strike at Fordo
Claim: It also claims that several videos are circulating on social media, indicating a US strike regarding Fordo or its aftermath. (1.5m view).
DW Fact Check: error
The video is authentic, but out of context, actually shows the aftermath of an Israeli airstrike at the Sharan oil depot at the northern tip of Tehran at the beginning of June. The facility can be geologically employed It uses two large pylons that can be seen in both video and Google Earth.
Furthermore, given the nature of the strike using a 13,000 kilogram (30,000 pounds) GBU-57, it is designed to penetrate up to 18 meters of concrete, or to explode into normal soil of 61 meters, then detonate with a delayed fuse.the huge explosion depicted in the video, even if there was footage, would not have been visible.
Report from the European Broadcasting Union This article included the Eurovision news spotlight.
Adnan Sidibe contributed to this report.
Edited by: Rachel Byig
