As the conflict involving Iran escalates, false videos and images presented as current war footage have begun circulating on social media. Among them were clips described as Iranian missile strikes that in fact showed fireworks during celebrations of a football victory in Algeria and footage from a music festival in France. A video circulated as an explosion at a nuclear facility in Iran was in reality taken from a 2017 ammunition depot fire in Ukraine.
Another clip presented as the downing of a US aircraft over Iran was identified as a fragment from a computer game. Online users also shared a computer-generated image depicting the body of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei under rubble. Some false posts also claimed attacks on US naval vessels and military bases. These materials appeared online at the same time as authentic information about military operations in the region.
The Briefline verifies every dispatch before publication using several independent sources. The editorial procedure includes comparing institutional statements, visual materials and publicly available media reports.