A wave of disinformation has been unleashed online since Israel began strikes on Iran last week, seeking to amplify the effectiveness of Tehran’s and Israel’s responses.
The dozens of posts were reviewed by BBC Verify, reports BBC.
The analysis found a number of videos – created using artificial intelligence – boasting of Iran’s military capabilities, alongside fake clips showing the aftermath of strikes on Israeli targets. The three most viewed fake videos have collectively amassed over 100 million views across multiple platforms.
Pro-Israeli accounts have also shared disinformation online, mainly by recirculating old clips of protests and gatherings in Iran, falsely claiming that they show mounting dissent against the government and support among Iranians for Israel’s military campaign.
“We are seeing everything from unrelated footage from Pakistan, to recycled videos from the October 2024 strikes—some of which have amassed over 20 million views—as well as game clips and AI-generated content being passed off as real events,” Geoconfirmed, an online verification group, wrote on X.
Certain accounts have become “super-spreaders” of disinformation, being rewarded with significant growth in their follower count. Disinformation is also being spread by well-known accounts that have previously weighed in on the Israel-Gaza conflict and other conflicts. Their motivations vary, but experts said some may be attempting to monetise the conflict, with some major social media platforms offering pay-outs to accounts achieving large numbers of views.