An AI-generated video of a missile attack on a dam is viral, falsely linking it to an Israeli attack on a petrochemical company on Karun river in Iran.
On June 8, Israel conducted airstrikes on the Karoon Petrochemical plant located in Iran's port city of Mahshahr in Khuzestan province. The attack reportedly caused damage to the facility with no casualties or injuries.
The Claim:
The 15-second video is viral, claiming that it shows an Israeli airstrike on Iran's prominent petrochemical plant near the Karun river, which heightened tensions in the region.
The video was posted by the handle @Rtv9Bharatvarsh, which appears to replicate the names of Hindi news outlets - Republic and TV9 Bharatvarsh.
Click here to view the archive.
What We Found:
1) AI-related inconsistencies
Upon analysing the keyframes, we found visual inconsistencies indicating the use of AI. The fiery explosion seen at the five second mark disappears suddenly. The roads end abruptly, and cars are seen on rooftops and at unnatural angles, blocking the road.
We also ran a reverse image search and found the original video posted by the handle @warfarenextgen. The handle regularly posts AI-generated videos of missile attacks on dams, claiming they are from Iran.
2) AI-Detection Tool Results
We ran the video through Hive Moderation's AI detection tool, which detected that it is AI-generated.
We checked the news reports from the attack on June 8, and the visuals of the incident do not match the viral video.