Several photos created using AI and appearing to show US military aircraft being destroyed by Iranian forces and a pilot rescue operation are being shared online as real.
Tests using multiple AI detection tools confirmed that the photos are synthetically generated.
News agency Reuters reported, citing a US official, that one of the two crew members of a US fighter jet was rescued following its downing over Iran through US search-and-rescue efforts. US President Donald Trump later claimed that the US carried out a separate rescue of the missing airman deep in 'enemy territory' and said the pilot is safe and sound.
Claim 1: Photo of a US military aircraft destroyed by Iran
The photo was shared with the caption, "This is the helicopter of the superpower America lying down."
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Claim 2: Photo shows US forces rescuing an airman from Iranian territory
One verified Facebook page posted the photo with a caption that it shows US Delta Force rescuing a pilot from hostile Iranian territory.
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
Claim 3: Photo shows a rescued US pilot from Iranian territory
Click here to view the post and here for an archive.
What We Found: Pictures Are AI-Generated
We ran reverse image searches on all the photos but found no credible source linked to them. A closer look revealed multiple inconsistencies, commonly seen in AI-generated visuals.
To verify further, the images were tested using AI detection tools, which concluded the same.
Photo 1: The helicopter’s tail boom and even its shadow appear oddly shaped. Based on that, we tested the image using AI detection tools like Hive Moderation and TruthScan, both of which indicated that the picture is AI-generated.
Photo 2: On zooming in, the leg of one of the personnel seems to merge with the grass. Further testing with Hive Moderation and TruthScan confirmed that the image is AI-generated. Furthermore, some of the soldiers appear to to be hanging further away from the helicopter without any rope.
Photo 3: A closer look shows a distorted emblem on a military uniform. Test conducted using Hive Moderation also indicated the presence of artificially generated content in the image.