Fact Check: Iran attacks US airbase in Qatar? Yes, but viral video is AI-generated
A video of explosions is circulating online, claiming it shows Iran’s attack on the US airbase in Qatar.
By Md Mahfooz Alam
Claim:The video shows multiple explosions during Iran’s attack on the US airbase in Qatar.
Fact:The claim is misleading. Iran did attack the US airbase in Qatar, but the viral video is AI-generated.
Hyderabad: In the context of Iran attacking a US airbase in Qatar following the attack on Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan, a video of explosions at night has been circulating on social media.
Those sharing the video claim that it shows multiple massive explosions, one after the other, caused by Iran’s ballistic missiles strike on a US airbase in Qatar.
Sharing the video, an X user wrote, “Iran attacks US airbase in Qatar with ballistic missiles.” (Archive)
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is misleading, as the video is AI-generated.
Upon closely examining the video, we found that it contains a watermark of Sora, the video-generation tool developed by OpenAI. This watermark is marked with a red circle in the image below. This indicates that the video was created using Sora.
We also found a screenshot of a TikTok post shared by researcher Tal Hagin on his X account on June 14, stating that the video was created using an AI tool. The screenshot shows that the video was originally posted by the TikTok account Miniuniverse Productions and was labelled as AI-generated by the creator.
We also found an archived version of the TikTok post, which showed that the video was shared with the hashtag #AI and was clearly labelled as AI-generated by the creator.
What did the AI-detection tool find?
We ran the video through Hive Moderation, which analysed the content and concluded that it likely contains AI-generated or deepfake elements, assigning it an aggregate confidence score of 99.8 per cent.
When did Iran attack the US airbase in Qatar?
On June 23, Iran launched an attack on the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, just two days after American airstrikes targeted three nuclear sites in Iran.
Multiple news agencies reported hearing explosions in Qatar, and photos surfaced showing missiles over the capital city, Doha. According to US and Qatari officials, the missiles were successfully intercepted, and no casualties were reported.
Therefore, we conclude that Iran did attack the US Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar. However, the viral video does not show the explosion in the aftermath of the attack. It is old and AI-generated. The claim is misleading.
