WHAT WAS CLAIMED
Video and images show the 2026 Middle East war.
OUR VERDICT
False. The content is AI-generated or old, unrelated footage.
AAP FACTCHECK - The war in the Middle East has sparked a barrage of misinformation on social media, with many users sharing content generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
AAP FactCheck previously debunked a video claiming to show the CIA headquarters in Dubai in flames after an Iranian strike, and a fake image of Iran's deceased supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The latest wave of misinformation includes a Facebook post from an Australian user sharing a purported screenshot of a video showing Iranian missiles striking the city of Tel Aviv in Israel.
"BREAKING: Brutal images from Israel show Iranian ballistic missiles destroying everything in their path," the caption reads.
"Iran showered Tel Aviv this morning with its ballistic projectiles that Israel's air defense system cannot stop.
"The footage has been verified as genuine."
Another Facebook post shared the same clip with the caption: "Real video from Tel Aviv today showing Iran firing missiles and Israel's air defenses shooting them down".
However, the video is AI-generated.
Indications that the footage is synthetic include a misshapen Israeli flag (timestamp 7 seconds) and warped structures that appear to be solar panels on building roofs (timestamp 0.05).
A reverse image search shows the video was originally posted on Instagram.
The caption includes a prompt for an AI tool to generate a video showing airstrikes hitting high-rise buildings.
It ends with a disclaimer stating: "This video is created with AI and is intended for entertainment purposes only".
Another post shared an image it claimed to show parents burying children killed by an airstrike that hit the Shajareh Tayyebeh girls' school in Minab, southern Iran.
Iranian authorities said at least 165 school girls and staff were killed by the strike they accused the US and Israel of conducting, the ABC reported.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said the incident was being investigated, The Guardian reported.
Signs the image is synthetic include framed photos atop two of the wrapped corpses showing the same girl and people merging together in the background.
A reverse image search shows it was posted on X by a user who admitted it was AI-generated and he had shared it to "symbolically to reflect the scale of the tragedy".
The image also does not match scenes in an Al Jazeera report on the mass funeral held for those killed, where thousands of mourners gathered in a public square in Minab.
Another image shared by an Australian Facebook account supposedly showed the aftermath of an Iranian drone strike on an ammunition depot at a US base in Erbil, northern Iraq.
"And another one bites the dust," the caption reads.
"Secondary explosions and a major fire were recorded at the impact site."
Again, the image has been created using AI.
A Google Images search reveals the graphic contains a hidden digital watermark confirming it was AI-generated.
Another post from the same user showed an image of the results of an Iranian missile strike on the UAE Port of Jebel Ali.
"Huge destruction and fires spread through Middle East's biggest port," the caption reads.
However, a reverse image search of the video reveals it dates back to July 2021.
It shows the aftermath of an explosion caused by a container ship fire, according to an X post by Arab News at the time.
The 2021 blast was caused by negligence rather than an act of war, the Khaleej Times reported.
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