Lead Stories

Fact Check: FAKE Video Of Shakira's FIFA World Cup 2026 Opening Song Performance Is AI

2026-06-12T22:54:30Z

Is a viral video that shows Shakira's 2026 World Cup opening song performance real? No, that's not true: An online detection tool identified elements of the video as AI-generated. Shakira does not appear in the 10-minute video posted on social media. The real footage of Shakira performing the opening song for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with singer Burna Boy does not match any part of the video circulating on social media.

The claim appeared a June 11, 2026, video posted on X account @RutoJames7113 (archived here). It opened:

Shakira's performance today was nothing short of legendary. The aura, the moves, the vocals, she turned the opening ceremony into her own concert. Simply epic.

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @RutoJames7113 on X.)

The footage posted on X does not match the actual footage from Shakira's 2026 World Cup opening song performance. Video of her duet performance of the song "Dai Dai" with Nigerian singer Burna Boy at the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup Group A match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City Stadium on June 11, 2026, was posted on the FIFA YouTube channel (archived here). Here is a screenshot of Shakira performing:

(Image source: video posted by @FIFA and Shakira on YouTube.)

This does not match the footage posted on X, seen below:

Shakira's performance today was nothing short of legendary. The aura, the moves, the vocals, she turned the opening ceremony into her own concert. Simply epic. pic.twitter.com/0APAJaKzfQ
-- Ruto James (@RutoJames7113) June 11, 2026

There are several signs in the song that it is not the official Shakira FIFA World Cup opening song. In the video posted on X there is a list of countries that are sung about that are not participating in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to the official FIFA website (archived here). Here are countries in the order they are mentioned in the song that are not competing:

Italy
Nigeria
Poland
Ukraine
Denmark
Serbia
Chile
Peru
Costa Rica
Cameroon
United Arab Emirates
China
India
Ireland

The video in the post contains a Google Gemini watermark. When Gemini, Google's AI assistant, was asked whether a 25-second clip, from 4:31-4:54 in the video, contained Google AI, the chat answered, "The visuals of this video were edited or generated with Google AI, as SynthID was detected in the visual content between the 0:10 and 0:25 marks. No SynthID watermark was found in the audio." Google developed SynthID, an invisible watermark that can identify content generated by the company's AI (archived here). Here is a screenshot of the Gemini answer:

(Image source: Google Gemini.)

The video contains several instances of apparent AI-generated content. The transitions between acts are seamless, with no people moving around the field as would be expected during a live performance. The figures performing on the field have abnormal body parts, including a clip at 4:22 showing elongated arms and hardly any discernible hands.

(Image source: post by @RutoJames7113 on X.)

Beginning at 4:39 in the video, a wave appears on the field along with a large coral reef that grows out of the ground, only to disappear five seconds later. This screenshot shows the reef appearing:

(Image source: post by @RutoJames7113 on X.)

Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Chanting, Clapping, And Drumming Protesters In Belfast

2026-06-12T21:23:52Z

Was a video of a crowd of people chanting, clapping, and drumming recorded in Belfast during the June 2026 anti-immigrant protests? No, that's not true: The clip had been online since May of that year. The original caption said it showed soccer fans in Germany.

The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by @KDJRadioShow on June 11, 2026. It opened:

Earlier today in Belfast. Western civilization is healing itself. #GodBlessIreland

This is what the attached video looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @KDJRadioShow on X.)

The post implied the video was related to the situation in Belfast. Around the time of the post's publication, that city in Northern Ireland faced violent anti-immigrant riots following an attempted beheading of a local man caught on camera.

However, the clip predated those events of June 2026.

On May 17, 2026, the same video was published on Facebook (archived here) and TikTok (archived here). The latter post included a location: the SchücoArena stadium in Bielefeld, Germany (archived here). It also contained a series of hashtags clearly linking the footage to soccer fans:

(Image source: post by @baybee00 on TikTok.)

The Arminia Bielefeld team indeed played a match (archived here) on that day at their home stadium SchücoArena, winning against Hertha Berlin. The soccer club also posted about its victory on Facebook (archived here).

Fact Check: FAKE Fox Sports Graphic During Mexico-South Africa World Cup Match Includes Long Explanation That Team Is 'Down To 9 Players'

2026-06-12T21:12:31Z

Does a real Fox Sports graphic from the Mexico-South Africa game during the 2026 FIFA World Cup include a long explanation of what it means to be "down to 9 players"? No, that's not true: Video from the match does not include such a graphic. At that point in the game, the yellow on-screen graphic simply read "Down to 9 players" and did not include a 50-plus-word explanation.

The claim appeared in a post and image (archived here) by Troll Football Media (@TrollFootball2) on X on June 11, 2026. It read:

American broadcasting

This is what the image in the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @TrollFootball2 on X.)

The image from the social media post is supposed to show the game at the 83:48 mark, but it does not match what aired on television. Lead Stories watched a replay of the Mexico-South Africa match on the Fox Sports website (archived here) and also viewed the game's highlights published to YouTube (archived here) by Fox Sports on June 11, 2026. In neither case did the lengthy explanation of what was taking place show up on the screen.

This is what a screenshot of the broadcast replay looked like on the Fox Sports website at the time of writing:

(Image source: Fox Sports.)

The highlights are embedded below and are queued up to that point in the match:

Troll Football Media

Troll Football has multiple accounts across social media platforms, including X, Instagram and Facebook. On its Facebook account (archived here), Troll Football states its intent plainly:

WARNING: Don't follow us if you can't take a troll on your fav club/player.

This is what the Facebook page looked like at the time of writing:

(Image source: Troll Football on Facebook.)

In this particular case, Troll Football appears to be targeting American soccer/football fans, who are often stereotyped as not being as familiar with the game as fans in countries where soccer is more deeply embedded in the culture.

Lead Stories reached out to Fox Sports for comment on the claim about their graphics but did not get an immediate response.

Fact Check: Posts MISDATE Scandicci Murder Case Involving Decapitated Woman, North African Suspect

2026-06-12T19:22:25Z

Was a woman decapitated in Scandicci, Italy, in June 2026? No, that's not true: The case is not that recent. Italian media widely reported that both the murder and the arrest of the suspect happened in February 2026.

The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @TaraBull on June 11, 2026. It opened:

🚨#BREAKING: A 44-year-old woman has been decapıtated by an African migrant📍Scandicci, Italy.

This is what the attached image looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: Post by @TaraBull on X.)

RAI (archived here), Italy's public broadcaster (archived here), reported that the body of Silke Sauer (archived here), a 44-year-old homeless German woman, was found in the town of Scandicci in the Florence Metropolitan area (archived here) on February 18, 2026. ANSA (archived here), a major news agency in Italy (archived here) covering the case, also named that date.

On the next day, February 19 (archived here), 30-year-old Issam Chlih of Moroccan origin, also homeless, was officially informed about being a suspect in the case while he was at a hospital following an earlier call (archived here) from a passerby reporting seeing him in an agitated state. A judge confirmed the suspect's pretrial detention.

Fact Check: EDITED Screenshot Of World Cup Predictions Was Altered To Correct One Score

2026-06-12T18:48:44Z

Does a screenshot published on X accurately show the World Cup results predictions as they were pictured in a TikTok video? No, that's not true: The list of score predictions which appeared in a TikTok video has been altered. The TikTok prediction showed a score of "Mexico 3-1 South Africa" which proved to be incorrect. The actual score was Mexico 2-0 South Africa, the score shown in the edited screenshot.

The altered image appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @Only1tommo on June 12, 2026, after the Mexico-South Africa game was finished. The post was captioned:

If you found out football was staged like WWE would you still watch it?

This would be an insane correct score prediction... Two scores correct so far ✅

This is the image included with the post:

(Image source: @Only1tommo post on X.)

The scope of this fact check is not to scrutinize predictions: rather, it is to point out that a screenshot showing a list of predictions has been deceptively edited.

The screenshot (pictured above) of a TikTok video showing the handle of @Josh_Mufc89 has been altered. The original @Josh_Mufc89 video (archived here) was uploaded to TikTok on June 10, 2026. The Lead Stories composite image below shows a screenshot of the TikTok video (left panel) compared with the X post (right panel). The score for the Mexico-South Africa match has been changed from 3-1 to 2-0 -- the latter of which is the correct score of the June 11, 2026 match (archived here).

The prediction that South Korea would beat Czechia 2-1, as shown in the TikTok video was correct (archived here). The @Only1tommo post said that two of the predicted scores were correct so far, but only one was correct -- the other was edited.

(Image source: @Josh_Mufc89 post on TikTok and @Only1tommo post on X.)

Fact Check: FAKE Video Does NOT Show Moment Iran Shot Down U.S. Apache Helicopter In Persian Gulf -- It Is AI-Generated

2026-06-12T18:12:28Z

Does a real video show the moment Iran shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter in the Persian Gulf in early June 2026? No, that's not true: The clip was created using artificial intelligence, and an AI detection tool determined it was 100% "likely to be AI-generated." There are no credible reports that the helicopter was brought down by a shoulder-fired rocket launcher -- it was struck by an Iranian Shahed drone.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @Lassegaf_1 account on X on June 10, 2026. It read:

BREAKING NEWS:🚨🇮🇷
Iran used a weapon worth one hundred and fifty dollars to shoot down a billion-dollar American military aircraft.

For the first time, America had met its true adversary.🚀🔥🇺🇸

This is what a screenshot of the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @Lassegaf_1 on X.)

The video is embedded below:

BREAKING NEWS:🚨🇮🇷
Iran used a weapon worth one hundred and fifty dollars to shoot down a billion-dollar American military aircraft.

For the first time, America had met its true adversary.🚀🔥🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/MXL7PKvIbx
-- Mr. Hass 💛 (@Lassegaf_1) June 10, 2026

AI detection

The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection tool concluded that the video was 100% "likely to be AI-generated":

(Image source: Hive Moderation.)

AI indicators

A close look at the clip reveals signs that it was generated using AI:

The alleged members of the Iranian military in the video have American flags on their uniforms, not ones from the Islamic Republic.
A person standing directly behind a shoulder-fired rocket launcher, as shown in the video, would be at serious risk of injury. The weapon's backblast produces superheated gases, flames, and debris that can cause severe burns and other serious injuries.
The missile's trajectory is unnatural. After launch, it curves in a way that is not realistic. Real missiles cannot make such smooth, sudden changes in direction while maintaining their speed and momentum.
The helicopter's flight, explosion, and crash defy physics. The lighting and shadows do not match the surrounding environment, with the sun shining from the right side of the scene. The smoke from the explosion appears only in black. Real explosions typically show a range of gray tones and often visible flames in the initial moments.

News reports

Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and found no reports matching the claim that a U.S. Apache helicopter was shot down in the Persian Gulf by a shoulder-fired rocket launcher. However, numerous reports confirmed Iran had downed the aircraft -- though not in the manner depicted in the fake video. CBS News reported (archived here) that an armed Iranian Shahed drone struck the Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz on June 8, 2026.

Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows Elaborate Gold Float From Iran At The FIFA World Cup Opening Ceremony -- It Is AI-Generated

2026-06-12T15:33:51Z

Does a real video show Iran's elaborate gold float in the opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup? No, that's not true: A content detection tool determined with 99.8% confidence the video is AI-generated. The opening ceremony for the 2026 World Cup did not feature any national floats passing under fireworks as pictured. The Mexico City ceremony had a parade of uniformly dressed flag bearers who formed a circle on the field as the nations were announced one at a time.

The AI-generated video appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by the account of Seyed Abbas Mousavi, Chief of Protocol for Iran's president office (@SAMOUSAVI9) on June 11, 2026. The post was captioned:

Iran's attractive representation at the opening ceremony of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Wishing success to the Iranian national team. #WorldCup2026

This is a screenshot of the video in the post:

(Image source: post by @SAMOUSAVI9 on X.)

Lead Stories uploaded a 20-second portion of the video to Hive Moderation. The platform's detection tool determined with 99.8% confidence that the video was AI-generated (pictured below). This @SAMOUSAVI9 video does not depict the actual opening ceremony of the FIFA World Cup.

(Image source: Hive Moderation.)

A FOX Sports video published on YouTube on June 11, 2026, shows the opening ceremony in Mexico City (archived here). The part of the ceremony introducing the nations did not involve pyrotechnics or elaborate floats. Flag bearers, all wearing simple black suits, were called one at a time. A screenshot from the two-minute mark (pictured below) shows the flag bearer enter after the announcer called the Islamic Republic of Iran.

(Image source: FOX Sports on YouTube.)

Fact Check: Video From Anonymous 'Irish Citizen Army' Is NOT New In 2026 -- Was Released On Social Media In September 2025

2026-06-12T00:10:33Z

Did a group calling itself the Irish Citizen Army (ICA) release a new message amid the June 2026 anti-migration protests in Northern Ireland? No, that's not true: The video, featuring an anonymous narrator, was originally released with a Sept. 20, 2025 datestamp. Reposts of the video circulating in June 2026 have an "ITS TIME" caption box obscuring that original datestamp.

The video resurfaced in a post (archived here) published by @realtoriabrooke on X on June 10, 2026. It was captioned:

IRELAND 🇮🇪 Amid anti-migration protests, the anonymous ICA (Irish Citizen Army) group released a message saying that it was finally taking action against what the Irish and British governments have done: "When tyranny becomes law, revolution becomes duty."

This is a screenshot from the 3-minute, 47-second video in the post:

(Image source: @realtoriabrooke post on X.)

In the lower left corner of the video (pictured above) is a black text box that says, "ITS TIME". The video contains audio of a person reading a message with an anonymous voice changer. The main scene shows several masked people in dark jackets with their faces blurred. Additional scenes depict Ireland -- a map, the flag, and rural and urban landscapes -- along with two slides containing text. The first minute of narration follows:

Citizens of Ireland, we address you tonight with a heavy heart but with a firm resolve. We are the Irish Citizen Army, also known as the ICA. We created the rebirth of the ICA of 1913. We are all citizens, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters.

Driven to finally take action on the intolerable corruption which is forced on us by the Irish and British governments, we also believe that the British government has no right in Ireland, has never had any right in Ireland and never can have any right in Ireland. We represent all of Ireland's 32 counties. We refuse to witness the suffering of our citizens. Our Irish citizens refuse to be treated as second-class citizens on their own island. We, the ICA, refuse to witness our heritage and culture being erased. We refuse to witness the suffering and killing of innocent Irish citizens.

An "Official Statement" video was originally published on YouTube by the Irish Citizen Army/ICA on Sept. 21, 2025. This video is no longer available on YouTube. The Internet Archive captured four snapshots of the YouTube posting from November and December 2025, but the video itself was not preserved. Because of this, Lead Stories cannot compare the original video to the one posted on X by @realtoriabrooke.

A reel published on Facebook on Nov. 15, 2025 (archived here) contains a 3-minute, 50-second video bearing a datestamp, "20/09/25" (September 20, 2025) in the lower left corner of the frame. Lead Stories reviewed the videos side by side and determined they are the same, with two exceptions:

the text obscuring the date stamp;
at nine seconds, several words were removed from the 2026 version, making the video slightly shorter and snipping out a reference to 2025.

It originally said:

We are the Irish Citizen Army, also known as the ICA, formed as of the seventh of June 2025. We created the rebirth of the ICA of 1913.

(Image source: @ron.ridgeway.3194 post on Facebook.)

Fact Check: U.K. Prime Minister Starmer Did NOT Say He Will 'Arrest Elon Musk And 336 Million Americans'

2026-06-11T23:34:26Z

Did U.K.'s Prime Minister Keir Starmer publicly threaten to arrest X owner Elon Musk along with other "336 million Americans"? No, that's not true: Lead Stories reviewed Starmer's public comments about Musk and did not find anything remotely close to what social media attributed to the prime minister. The claim about hundreds of millions to be arrested is implausible on its face: The U.K. prison system doesn't have the capacity to house a number roughly equivalent to the entire U.S. population.

The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @RightSide_Uk on June 11, 2026. It opened:

Keir Starmer says he will arrest Elon Musk and 336 million Americans for free speech on X. The Prime Minister of Britain openly threatening to jail the CEO of X and an entire nation's citizens over online posts.

This is what an image attached to the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @RightSide_Uk on X.)

The post did not include any fact-checkable details about when and where the purported statement was made and did not include any direct quotes.

A search on Google News (archived here) showed no media reports about that.

The claim arose in the context of X owner Elon Musk's posts about the Belfast riots, including one in which he wrote (archived here) on his social media platform: "Murderous migrants beheading innocent people in their home town is what's making people angry, not 'social media'!" That comment was made as Belfast was overwhelmed by violent riots (archived here) in the aftermath of an attempted beheading (archived here) that took place in that city on June 8, 2026. As reported by NBC News (archived here), Musk also shared a post claiming that Starmer "hates white people" and another entry that showed the suspect, who is Black, next to the caption that read "millions must go."

Starmer (archived here) described (archived here) the incident as a "sickening" and "horrific attack," and political leaders of Northern Ireland condemned it (archived here).

Anna Turley (archived here), who is the chair of the Labour Party led by Starmer, described (archived here) Musk's words as "appalling" and said that "anyone that is seeking to drive and exploit a situation like this to drive their own political agenda is grievously wrong and doing damage".

Four days before the attempted stabbing in Belfast on June 8, 2026, Starmer publicly accused (archived here) Musk of trying to "whip up" division following the December 2025 murder of Henry Novak (archived here). Novak's death in December 2025 became the subject of renewed scrutiny when police body camera footage was released approximately six months later.

The current U.K.'s prime minister made similar comments earlier, in September 2025, when he said (archived here) that Musk's words addressed to the participants of an anti-immigration rally were "dangerous".

Yet, Lead Stories found no evidence that Starmer threatened to "arrest Musk and 336 million Americans". That number approximates a 2023 U.S. Census Bureau (archived here) estimate of the total U.S. population.

The U.K. criminal system doesn't even have a capacity to house that many incarcerated people at once. According to the government data (archived here), in September 2025, the country's total prison population was roughly 87,000, with the maximum projected increase reaching 100,000 by November 2032.

Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows 'White Mega Plane' With Multiple Decks Between Cockpit And Main Body Taking Off

2026-06-11T21:18:31Z

Does a real video show the take-off of a "white mega plane" with several decks between the cockpit and the main cabin? No, that's not true: The clip was created using artificial intelligence and an AI detection tool determined that the video was 99.6% "likely to be AI-generated." In addition, an aircraft designed like a skyscraper with wings would not be able to fly under the laws of aerodynamics. There are many structural abnormalities with the plane.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @Crazymoments01 account on X on June 8, 2026. It read:

The massive white mega plane is taking off like a flying skyscraper! 😱

This is what a screenshot of the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @Crazymoments01 on X.)

AI detection

The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection tool concluded that the video was 99.6% "likely to be AI-generated":

(Image source: Hive Moderation.)

AI indicators

A close look at the image below reveals several signs that it was generated using AI:

The plane has a different number of engines on each wing. The wing circled in yellow has one engine, while the wing outlined in red has two.
The aircraft's landing gear design makes little sense. The front landing gear, underneath the cockpit, would never touch the ground unless the plane tipped forward, raising the tail almost straight into the air. The remaining landing gear is clustered near the middle of the aircraft. That arrangement would make the plane unstable and likely to tip to one side or the other, especially since there is no landing gear under the wings to provide additional support.
The skyscraper-like section of the plane appears to have balconies (green arrow). It is difficult to imagine a practical reason for passengers to be outside the aircraft while it is in flight. In addition, balconies would create drag, making the aircraft less aerodynamic. Even without the balconies, the tall upright section would act like a sail, increasing wind resistance and making takeoff much more difficult. The force of the air could cause the aircraft to pitch backward or become unstable.

(Image source: post by @Crazymoments01 on X.)

Not in the news

Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and did not find any matching reports for "mega plane," "taking off," and "flying skyscraper." Had such a unique plane been developed, there likely would have been widespread news coverage.

Fact Check: Video Of Times Square Assault Does NOT Show Night After Knicks Win On June 10, 2026

2026-06-11T20:34:12Z

Does a viral video of a Times Square assault show the night after the June 10, 2026, Knicks win? No, that's not true: The video had been online before. It predates the game by nearly two years.

The claim appeared in a post (archived here and here) published on X by @wstgoat7 on June 10, 2026.

It hasn't even been 30 minutes since they won 😭😭😭😭.

This is what the attached video looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @wstgoat7 on X.)

The 35-second clip captured a man stomping on another man's head before law enforcement intervened.

Violence and vandalism broke out in Midtown Manhattan in the aftermath of the June 10, 2026, Knicks victory (archived here, when police arrested (archived here) at least 56 fans.

But the "It hasn't even been 30 minutes since they won" post used video that showed none of the 2026 incidents.

The head stomp video has been online at least since July 2024 (archived here) when it was published on X.

Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show People In New York Shooting Fireworks Along The Ground During The 2026 NBA Finals -- 2024 Protest In Georgia

2026-06-11T20:04:48Z

Does a video show people in New York shooting fireworks along the ground during the 2026 NBA Finals? No, that's not true: The video is from a 2024 protest in the European country of Georgia and not from New York City following the Knicks' win against the Spurs on June 10, 2026. The video was published by international news outlets in 2024. The watermark on the video is from a Georgian news outlet Paper Kartuli.

The claim appeared in a June 10, 2026, post on X account @wstgoat7 (archived here). It opened:

What the fuck is going on in New York 😭😭😭

This is what the video looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @wstgoat7 on X.)

The video is from a protest in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 2024, not New York City in June 2026. The video contains a watermark in the top right corner that reads "KARTULI."

The Associated Press (archived here) published the footage on Dec. 1, 2024, with the credit listed as belonging to Feodor Khudokormov from Paper Kartuli (archived here), a local media outlet covering Tbilisi and Georgia.

(Image source: The Associated Press.)

The video was published by The Independent on its YouTube account on Dec. 1, 2024.

Beginning at 0:12 in the video, there is a person dressed in black shooting fireworks on the streets. This footage matches that posted on X.

Here is a screenshot of the video from The Independent:

(Image source: post by The Independent on YouTube.)

Here is a screenshot of the video posted on X:

(Image source: post by @wstgoat7 on X.)

According to The Independent, the video shows protesters in Tbilisi, Georgia:

Protesters used fireworks against riot police in Tbilisi, Georgia, late on Saturday (30 November), during a third night of demonstrations against the government's decision to suspend negotiations to join the European Union.

Fact Check: Video Of Burning Fuel Tank Rolling Away After Explosion Is NOT From Iran -- It Shows A 2024 Gas Station Explosion In Chechnya

2026-06-11T17:31:30Z

Does a video featuring a burning fuel tank rolling away after an explosion show an event in Iran in June 2026? No, that's not true: The footage shows an explosion at a gas station in Chechnya, a republic within the Russian Federation, in October 2024, not Iran. The clip also appeared on a social media account labeled as a parody.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @IsraelArmyX account on X on June 11, 2026. It read:

🚨 Breaking News :

US ATTACKS IRAN

According to sources, massive explosions have rocked Iranian military bases following US airstrikes. Reports indicate that IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] facilities have sustained heavy damage, and over 100 soldiers have been injured. Iran's security infrastructure is crumbling.

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @IsraelArmyX on X.)

The video is embedded below:

🚨 Breaking News :

US ATTACKS IRAN

According to sources, massive explosions have rocked Iranian military bases following US airstrikes. Reports indicate that IRGC facilities have sustained heavy damage, and over 100 soldiers have been injured. Iran's security infrastructure is... pic.twitter.com/D0wQBHv9Sl
-- Israel Army (@IsraelArmyX) June 11, 2026

The @IsraelArmyX account (archived here) is not affiliated with the Israeli army or the Israel Defense Forces. It is labeled as a "Parody account." This is what a screenshot of the account's profile page looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @IsraelArmyX on X.)

The clip first appeared in news reports (archived here) from October 2024. The scene from Grozny shown in the post on X appears about 11 seconds into this AlJazeera English YouTube video (archived here) from Oct. 12, 2024, which is embedded below:

(Image source: YouTube account of @aljazeeraenglish.)

Fact Check: Posts Saying Celeb Wore A Daring Thong Bikini On A Beach With Partner Are NOT Real -- Spam From Vietnam

2026-06-11T16:53:22Z

Are social media posts claiming that a long list of celebrities, including 85-year-old Joan Baez, were photographed wearing an incredibly daring thong bikini on the beach real? No, that's not true: The images used in the post were AI-generated. The claims came from a spam operation managed from Vietnam.

Among the false posts Lead Stories found is a post (archived here) making the claim about Joan Baez and Bob Dylan shared by the "Songs in the Wind" Facebook page on June 10, 2026. The text read:

BREAKING: During a recent vacation, Joan Baez is making waves online with a series of photos featuring her in an incredibly d.a.r.i.n.g t.h.o.n.g b.i.k.i.n.i on the beach alongside Bob Dylan--oh my, she looks absolutely stunning...

This is what the post looked like on Facebook at the time of writing:

(Source: Facebook screenshot taken on Thu Jun 11 16:53:22 2026 UTC)

(Image source: Songs in the Wind Facebook page)

A Google search (archived here) for "making waves online with a series of photos featuring her in an incredibly daring thong bikini" returned no credible reporting that any such statement was made. It returned only links to the fake posts in this series.

Lead Stories searched Facebook to identify other fake posts in the series, including with a search (archived here) for the keywords "making waves online with a series of photos featuring her in an incredibly daring thong bikini." The false posts named musicians, sports stars, actors, a comedian and an entertainer, including:

Adam Lambert and Oliver Gliese
Aimee Preston and Steven Tyler
Alan Jackson and Norma Strait and George Strait and Denise Jackson
Anne Hathaway and Emily Blunt
Bob Seger and Juanita Dorricott
Bronte Gildea and Patrick Carrigan
Bunnie XO and Jelly Roll
Caitlin Clark and Sophia Cunningham
Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher
Christine Baumgartner and Kevin Costner
Ciara, Marissa Ayers, Russell Wilson and Jaxson Dart
Daryl Hannah and Neil Young
Evelyn McGee-Colbert and Stephen Colbert
Gabi Duggal and Scotty McCreery
Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell
Joan Baez and Bob Dylan
Joy Reid and Jason Reid
Jy Simpkin and Chloe E Wheatland
Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman
Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn
Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky
Laila Hasanovic and Jannik Sinner
Mary J. Blige and Nas
Melanie Hamrick and Mick Jagger
Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton
Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban
Shemane Deziel and Ted Nugent
Sophie Cunningham and Caitlin Clark
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

(Image source: Facebook)

The image used in the post about Joan Baez and Bob Dylan, both 85 years old, is not real. The Hive Moderation AI content detection tool concluded with 99 percent confidence that the image was AI-generated.

(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of HiveModeration.com)

The Facebook pages that distribute these posts have a common origin: Vietnam. The Meta transparency data on the "Songs in the Wind" Facebook profile page (archived here) confirmed it is managed from Vietnam.

(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of Songs in the Wind Facebook profile page)

The post caption includes a link to an article (archived here) titled "BREAKING: Dυriпg a receпt vacatioп, Joaп Baez is makiпg waves oпliпe with a series of photos featυriпg her iп aп iпcredibly d.a.r.i.п.g t.h.o.п.g b.i.k.i.п.i oп the beach aloпgside Bob Dylaп." The article uses lookalike Cyrillic letters in place of Latin letters, which may be an attempt to evade automated content moderation.

(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of jervisfamily.com)

The "terms of service" page (archived here) for that website confirm that it also is managed from Vietnam.

(Image source: Lead Stories screenshot of jervisfamily.com/tos)

The Vietnam connection is significant, since fact-checkers, including Lead Stories, have identified a major source of AI-generated false stories is a single operation based in that Southeast Asian country. Recent reporting and fact checks mentioning that country are available here.

Lead Stories has published a primer -- or a prebunk -- on how to identify these kinds of fake posts exported from Vietnam. It is titled "Prebunk: Beware Of Fake Fan Pages Spreading False Stories About Your Favorite Celebrities -- How To Spot 'Viet Spam.'"

Fact Check: Photo Of Wounded Man in Hospital Does NOT Show Belfast Knife Attack Victim Stephen Ogilvie

2026-06-10T21:59:30Z

Does a viral image circulating on the internet show Belfast knife attack victim Stephen Ogilvie with bloody slash marks and stitches on his face in the hospital? No, that's not true: The Police Service of Nothern Ireland confirmed to Lead Stories that the man in the image is not Ogilvie, who was attacked in Belfast on June 8, 2026. A Sudanese man has been charged with attempted murder over the attack, which prompted significant unrest in Northern Ireland.

The claim appeared in a June 10, 2026, post on X account @ianmiles (archived here). It opened:

This is a photo of the man who had his eye gouged out and was almost decapitated by a Sudanese migrant...

This is what the image looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @ianmiles on X.)

Ogilvie was attacked on Kinnaird Avenue in North Belfast on June 8, 2026, as BBC News reported (archived here).

Lead Stories contacted the Police Service of Northern Ireland, and a spokesperson responded via email on June 10, 2026, confirming that the person in the image is not Ogilvie:

We acknowledge that the family of the attempted murder victim in north Belfast have called for privacy at this time. Despite this, we are aware of inaccurate images circulating claiming to be the victim after the attack. They are not related to anyone involved in the attempted murder. We believe these images are being used to arouse fear and hatred.