Israel

Did a U.S. military commander tell troops that President Trump was "anointed by Jesus to light the signal fire in Iran to cause Armageddon"? Here's what we know so far: The Military Religious Freedom Foundation (MRFF) said on its website that it has received hundreds of similar complaints. Asked to provide the original email or identifying information, the organization declined,…

Does a viral video show a real-life scene from Tel Aviv when the city was hit with Iranian missiles in March 2026? No, that's not true: The clip originated from an account that disclosed the video was generated by AI. Both online AI detectors and Lead Stories' manual analysis of the video strongly suggested that it was not real footage…

Does a viral image actually show the funeral of the children killed during the U.S.-Israel attack? No, that's not true: It contains multiple artifacts characteristic of AI. The account that was the source of the picture later disclosed that it used AI to create it. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X on March 3, 2026. The…

Did Variety report that Ian Miles Cheong was killed by an Iranian missile in Dubai? No, that's not true: Only one story on the Variety website mentions Cheong, and it was published five months before the Iranian strikes on the city in the United Arab Emirates. Cheong also posted a video of himself walking around the Dubai Mall on March…

Is this picture showing the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia on fire after a drone attack real? No, that's not true: An online detection tool rated the image 99.7% likely to be AI-generated and it contained a watermark from an AI image generator. Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Defense did say there was "limited fire and minor material damage to the…

Does a viral video show soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo leaving a resort in Dubai after an Iranian missile hit his car in March 2026? No, that's not true: The clip predates the most recent escalation in the Middle East. The original video was posted in January 2026, showing him leaving the Bvlgari resort two months before the conflict began in…

Is this a real video of a burning plane and airport terminal in Dubai? No, that's not true: An online detection tool rated the video as 99.8% likely to be AI-generated. Dubai International Airport did sustain "minor damage" following an Iranian strike, an airport official said, but the fake video does not show it. The claim appeared in a post…

Does a viral clip prove that Iran sank the American aircraft carrier "Abraham Lincoln" involved in the military operation in the region? No, that's not true: The U.S. military denied the rumors twice. No credible media organizations reported the purported news and there were no higher quality versions of the clip or different angles available. The claim appeared in a…

Is a video showing the Burj Khalifa skyscraper on fire amid the U.S. attack on Iran real? No, that's not true: An online detection tool rated the image 99.9% likely to be AI-generated. There were explosions due to retaliation from Iran in the United Arab Emirates near the skyscraper in Dubai, but the building itself was not hit or on…

Does a video show an American soldier named Bishop in "the Gulf" crying because his shattered phone screen prevents him from seeing his daughter's face? No, that's not true: The clip is AI-generated and comes from a social media page known for posting fake videos. It contains several AI "hallucinations" and red flags typical of AI-generated content, such as distorted…