Fact Check: Iran bombs Israeli power plant? No, AI-generated video goes viral
A video circulating online claims to show an Iranian missile striking an Israeli power plant.
By - Rahul Adhikari
Claim:The video shows an Iranian missile destroying a power plant in Israel.
Fact:False. The video is AI-generated. There are no reports of Iran bombing an Israeli power plant.
Hyderabad: According to a latest CNN report on the US-Israel-Iran war, dated March 24, US President Donald Trump said that an agreement has been reached between the US and Iran. He also announced a five-day delay on strikes.
However, Iran’s foreign ministry denied this and said there was no dialogue with Washington.
A video, circulating on social media in this context, shows a missile hitting what appears to be a power plant. Those sharing the video claim it shows an Iranian missile causing destruction in Israel.
An Instagram user shared the video with a long caption detailing the rising tensions in the Middle East. A part of the text related to the video read, “An Iranian army officer, without caring for his own life, destroyed an Israeli building…” (Archive)
The caption ends with a note: “In this high-intensity information environment, please rely on confirmed sources and avoid spreading unverified video clips or reports that could fuel unnecessary panic.” The post garnered over 6,25,000 views and over 13,000 likes.
But is the video real, and is the user following their own advice?
Fact Check
NewsMeter found that the claim is false. The video is a fake. It is an AI-generated video falsely shared as an Iranian missile attack on Israel.
Analysis of the video
We carefully reviewed the video and found several anomalies that suggested it had been generated using AI.
The explosion looks unnatural with repetitive textures. The perfectly formed mushroom clouds from the explosion look synthetic. The fire and smoke do not interact realistically with the surroundings. There are structural inconsistencies, such as buildings changing shapes and debris appearing to float instead of falling naturally.
AI detection tools
Further, we analysed the video using AI tools.
The AI detection tool Hive Moderation found a 99.9 per cent likelihood that the video was generated using AI. It also flagged that most frames of the video are AI-generated.
We uploaded the video to the AI detection tool Deepfake-O-Meter, which gave strong indicators that the video is AI-generated.
Furthermore, there are no credible reports of an Iranian airstrike on any Israeli power plant.
Therefore, we conclude that the claim is false.
