A video claiming to show CCTV footage of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting military generals in a bunker, moments before they were allegedly killed in an Iranian missile strike, is fake and AI-generated. The video also falsely claims to have been aired by Al Jazeera.
BOOM found that no such footage was broadcast, and multiple AI detection tools and visual artifacts indicate the video is synthetic.
The Claim:
The video is being shared on X with the claim that Al Jazeera released CCTV footage showing Netanyahu meeting military generals in a bunker shortly before all of them were killed in an Iranian missile attack.
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What We Found:
1) AI Detection Tool Results
We analysed the video using DeepFake-O-Meter, developed by the University at Buffalo’s Media Forensics Lab. Four detection models flagged the footage as synthetic, assigning it a fake probability of over 95%.
Additionally, the Hiya Deepfake Voice Detector gave the audio an authenticity score of just 1 out of 100, indicating it is highly likely to be AI-generated.
2) Visual discrepancies
A key discrepancy occurs when debris begins to fall. Instead of taking cover or attempting to shield Netanyahu, a military general is seen pointing at the falling slab. This behaviour appears unnatural and inconsistent with real-life reactions in such a situation. We can also see two men in the frame completely disappearing.
3) Mismatch in Al Jazeera Bulletin Style
The news bulletin shown in the viral video does not match Al Jazeera's broadcast graphics. The fonts, colours, and layout differ from those used in genuine Al Jazeera broadcasts, suggesting a fabricated news overlay.
Additionally, the Al Jazeera logo seen in the news bulletin does not match the original logo as it has capitalized the letter 'L', while Netanyahu is wrongly spelt as "Netan Yaho".
BOOM has reached out to Al Jazeera for a response. The article will be updated upon receiving one.
4) No Al Jazeera report
We did not find any report by Al Jazeera about an Iranian strike killing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu's official X handle and the Prime Minister of Israel's handle have been posting recent videos and interactions to counter claims about his death circulating on social media. In one such instance, a video was posted showing him at a coffee shop in Israel to dispel these rumours. However, this too triggered speculation online, with some users claiming the video itself was AI-generated, an assertion for which there is no credible evidence.