Fact check: Many viral fakes after Israel's attack on Iran

In the early hours of June 13, Israel launched a massive strike on Iranthat primarily targeted military and nuclear facilities as well as high-ranking military officers and scientists.

Following the strikes, many images purporting to show Israel's attack or Iran's counterattack have been shared on social media. 

DW Fact check took a closer look.

Alleged sites of Israeli missile attacks 

Claim: A viral video on TikTok with over 660,000 views at the time of publication claims to show the Iranian sites hit and destroyed by Israeli attacks on June 13. 

DW Fact check: Fake 

Scenes in the video are AI-generated. If you look closely, several points stick out.

For example, in the first frame of the scene with the burned-out cars (00:08), the teddy bear has a distorted face and appears unnaturally clean compared to its surroundings. These inconsistencies strongly suggest the use of AI in the video's creation. 

In the scene at the burning airfield (00:24), the firefighters on one side of the pit remain completely still, while those on the other seem to vanish into thin air. Additionally, the rocket debris in the pit features two arrowheads.

A closer look at the account behind the video, Malka.415, reveals the owner is heavily involved in creating AI-generated videos based on current news events for their channel. 

Does this video show the Israeli attack?

Claim: Several widely shared posts on X, including this one, claim the video shows incoming Israeli missiles targeting Iran. Others assert it depicts Iran's response to Israel.

DW Fact check: False  

The video does not depict the current escalation between Israel and Iran. A reverse image search of a still frame confirms that the footage was first shared eight months ago.  

It most likely shows an Iranian missile attack on Israel in October 2024, which was in retaliation to a prior Israeli strike. This is also indicated in the community notes attached to some of the posts, such as this one.  

This case highlights how old footage is repeatedly recycled to garner attention and spread misinformation. The same video, for example, was previously posted — and debunked here — in the context of the recent Kashmir conflict between India and Pakistan. 

Apparent counterattacks from Iran

Claim: An image on X, viewed 4.5 million times at the time of writing, allegedly shows that "Iran has launched missiles at Israel," as stated in the caption.

DW Fact check: False  

While Iran responded to Friday's attacks by launching drones, there had been no official statements confirming missile launches when the image was posted this week. If missiles had been launched then, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) would likely have issued a statement. A reverse image search reveals the photo in the post is from a military exercise in Iran several years ago. The image first appeared online in 2021. 

The photograph appears to have been taken in southern Iran during the 17th Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) joint  Great Prophet 17 exercise in December 2021, which included the launch of rockets and missiles as part of a five-day military drill. 

Given the similar images from this exercise circulating online, taken by different photographers at slightly different times, it is clear the photo is real but unrelated to the current conflict.  

Edited by: Ines Eisele