AI-generated visuals and old videos are being shared on social media falsely linked it to the ongoing Iranian strikes on Tel Aviv and claiming to depict Israeli spy agency Mossad’s research complex being struck.
BOOM found that two videos are synthetic and likely AI-generated, while another predates the conflict and is from Hong Kong
Tel Aviv has faced multiple waves of missile attacks from Iran since the start of the U.S.-Israel conflict with Tehran, with additional strikes involving Hezbollah.
The Claim:
Social media posts on X with videos claim that Iran has hit key intelligence sites including Mossad's headquarters in Tel Aviv, and videos showing flattered buildings, and building on fire.
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What We Found:
Video 1: AI Video showing Iranian strike on Mossad's research complex in Tel Aviv
We analysed the video using the AI detection tool, DeepFake-O-Meter, developed by the University at Buffalo’s Media Forensics Lab. One of the results flagged the video as synthetic, assigning it a 100% fake probability.
Additionally, the footage appears heavily blurred, with no clear identifiable details. We found no credible reports of a Mossad research facility being struck, nor any other recent videos matching the location shown in the viral video.
Video 2: AI Video showing buildings in ruin in Tel Aviv
We analysed the video using the AI detection tool, DeepFake-O-Meter, developed by the University at Buffalo’s Media Forensics Lab. Four of the results flagged the video as synthetic, assigning it more than 98% fake probability.
Additionally, the video appears blurred, and at one point a woman is seen handing over a box in an unnatural manner - after passing it to a man, she oddly extends her hand again.
Video 3: Hong Kong fire video shared as buildings on fire in Tel Aviv
We broke the video into keyframes and ran a reverse image search using Google Lens. The results showed that the video dates back to November 2025, and is not recent.
The video is from a fire at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong. The buildings and visuals in the video match news reports of a major fire at the high-rise residential complex in Hong Kong. Reports at the time reported that at least 13 people were killed after a fire tore through the building on November 26, 2025.
