Propaganda networks push AI deception, distorting war reality while Israel and allies expose fabricated narratives online.
As the conflict involving Israel, the United States, and Iran intensifies, social media platforms are being overwhelmed with misleading and fabricated content designed to distort the reality of the war.
Images, videos, and graphics circulating across online platforms are often generated by artificial intelligence, repurposed from old conflicts, or even taken directly from video games. These materials are widely shared in an attempt to manipulate public perception and spread confusion during a rapidly evolving military confrontation.
One widely circulated image falsely claimed to show the body of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei buried under rubble after an alleged strike. However, digital analysis quickly revealed that the image was generated using artificial intelligence.
Technology tools from Google detected a digital watermark embedded in the file indicating that it had been created or altered using an AI model. No verified image of Khamenei’s body has been released by any official source.
Viral Falsehoods Reach Millions of Views
Investigations by the technology publication Wired analyzed hundreds of viral posts circulating on X (Twitter), many of which reached millions of viewers despite being entirely false.
Among the examples uncovered:
- An image claiming a U.S. radar facility in Qatar had been destroyed.
- A photograph of an Iranian MiG aircraft falsely labeled as an American or Israeli jet over Tehran.
- Old footage of missile attacks reused and presented as current strikes.
- Combat clips from previous Israel-Iran confrontations circulating as if they were new developments.
One viral post alone—showing an Iranian missile launch originally recorded in October 2024—was falsely described as a recent attack on Dubai and amassed 4.4 million views.
Pro-Iran Propaganda Networks Amplify Disinformation
Pro-Iranian accounts on X have been actively promoting fabricated content to create the impression of Iranian military victories.
In one instance, an image showing a missile explosion in Dubai was falsely labeled as a strike on Tel Aviv in real time. Despite repeated reports from researchers and journalists, the platform has yet to issue a formal response.
Meanwhile, several Armenian Telegram channels have been identified as major sources of fabricated reports celebrating supposed victories by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Among the false claims widely circulated were:
- A direct strike on Israel’s Glilot military base
- The assassination of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
- An attack on the U.S. Incirlik Air Base in Turkey
- The destruction of an American warship
None of these claims were supported by verified evidence.
Extremist Narratives and Antisemitic Rhetoric
Many of the Telegram channels pushing the misinformation appear to be linked to anti-government groups in Armenia. These groups oppose Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and reject reconciliation efforts with Azerbaijan as well as economic initiatives supported by the United States.
Some channels have also included openly antisemitic rhetoric. Accounts such as “Radical Armenian” have paired pro-Iran propaganda with explicit insults directed at Jews while praising Iranian military performance.
These narratives are often intertwined with conspiracy theories referencing the Jeffrey Epstein case and Ghislaine Maxwell, attempting to falsely link Israel or Jewish communities to unrelated scandals in order to inflame hostility.
