Do social media posts prove that the Israeli Prime Minister's office reused a photo originally published on Feb. 4, 2026? No, that's not true: The claim appears to have been based on a known Google image search glitch, not evidence of photo reuse. The photo was not part of an article about Spain published on Feb. 4, 2026. Lead Stories…
Is a video that shows a "woman who identifies as a dog" being attacked by a dog real? No, that's not true: An online AI video detection tool determined that the clip is 97.3 percent likely to be AI generated. There are several telltale signs of AI in the video. The claim appeared in a March 17, 2026, video posted…
Is this a real video of an airstrike on a U.S. base in Qatar? No, that's not true: An online AI video detection tool determined that the clip is 83.3 percent "likely to be AI-generated." A separate tool identified typical AI "hallucinations," including a distorted U.S. flag, static lighting during the blast, unrealistic smoke and debris interactions, and unusually clear…
Is a video showing a statue of Jesus the Redeemer being erected on the Mount of the Cross in Al-Qaa, Lebanon, real? Yes, that's true: The video shows the installation of a statue of Jesus the Redeemer in the Lebanese village of Al-Qaa in the Bekaa Valley. Lebanese media reported that the statue was erected in March 2026 on Jabal…
Does the screen of the coffee shop register in a video recently shared by Benjamin Netanyahu show a date stamp from 2024? No, that's not true: Lead Stories examined the highest resolution version of Netanyahu's video. The date stamp visible on the register's screen reads "15/03/2026." The claim appeared in a March 15, 2026, post by the X account @merlinscapital…
Is a new Disneyland theme park valued at "$100 billion" coming to Ohio as some social media posts claim? No, that's not true: The news originated on Mouse Trap News, a satirical publication specializing in Disney-related stories. The site described the story about a new park in Cincinnati as "totally made-up" in the footer of the article. The story came…
Does a viral video show Downtism Cafe in Tehran being destroyed by a U.S.-Israeli airstrike? No, that's not true: The video appeared on the internet 25 days before the most recent military escalation in the region. It showed the consequences of a fire, not a strike. The claim appeared in a post published on X (archived here, here and here)…
Does a viral video claiming to show a strike on a U.S. military base in Jordan or the Gulf actually show such an attack? No, that's not true: Lead Stories' analysis found multiple inconsistencies pointing to AI, including a fake U.S. flag missing all 50 stars that represent the 50 states. The video did not originate from a credible media…
Does a video show angry people at Ben Gurion Airport throwing things at staff behind the counter in March 2026, demanding tickets to leave Israel? No, that's not true: The video shows a group of Israeli youth throwing objects at Arab employees at Jerusalem's Cinema City theater and chanting "Death to Arabs." It happened months earlier, in July 2025. The…
Is the video of Iran announcing the new leader with a cardboard cutout of Ayatollah Mojtaba Hosseini real? No, that's not true: In the original video, a framed photo of the Ayatollah is presented and not a cardboard cutout. An online AI detection tool found the video was 73.5% likely generated with AI. The claim appeared in a March 10,…
Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
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