Fighting has erupted across the Middle East after Israel and the US attacked Iran, following a US military build-up in the region. The US and Israel launched their massive joint operation after weeks of tensions and talks.

Since then, a lot of false claims of attacks have been spread across various social media platforms and in multiple languages; many of them are AI-generated.

DW Fact check debunked a few viral claims and put together a list that will help you tell fake from real content. 

Video material about attack on girls' school is genuine

Claim: "The video currently being circulated under the name 'missile attack on Minab elementary school' pertains to an attack in Peshawar, Pakistan, and has no connection to Minab," says the translation of a viral post on X. The post includes a video showing crowds gathered in front of a destroyed building.

Fact check: False

The circulating footage is authentic. It does not depict an attack in Peshawar, Pakistan.

On February 28, during US and Israeli missile strikes on Iran, a girls’ school in Minab, southern Iran, was hit. According to media reports, Iranian officials accused Israel and the US of carrying out the strikes. On Sunday, Israel reportedly denied responsibility. The accusations cannot currently be verified independently.

A UN report states that around 150 people were killed. Iranian state media reported at least 165 deaths. These figures also cannot be independently confirmed.

Several media outlets and organizations — including the United Nations — have reported on the strike. Verified videos from after the attack confirm the destruction. 

A terrorist attack did occur at a school in Peshawar, Pakistan, in 2014. However, video material from that time looks entirely different from footage of the current attack in Iran. Grok, the AI assistant on X, has incorrectly connected the Minab footage to the 2014 attack in Pakistan.

Are videos showing a missile hit in Tel Aviv really related to the current attacks?

Claim: This video, viewed more than 1 million times on X, and also shared on other platforms such as Instagram and Facebook, allegedly shows a missile hitting a building in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Fact check: Fake

Although media reports confirm that Iranian missiles hit Tel Aviv, this video does not show such an attack. It is AI-generated.

There are several clues:

• The antennas on the building collapse before the missile makes contact.
• The building on the left topples onto another structure that inexplicably remains intact — a physically unrealistic scenario.

This is just one of many AI-generated videos circulating online in connection with the US-Israel conflict with Iran.

Viral video showing Dubai airport on fire?

Claim: "Dubai Airport out of service. Iranian Missiles ripped it apart," a post on X claimed. The post comes with a video of a burning aircraft and terminal, while smoke is engulfing the building. It's been widely shared on social media.

Fact check: Fake

This video appears to be AI-generated. The 10-second clip doesn't make a lot of sense. Some tell-tale signs are:

• The firefighters aren't actually aiming the water hose at the building's fire
• The airplane seems to have an extra wing on its right side
• The smoke looks unnatural
• People are standing close to the burning aircraft and are not moving away to a safe distance. No one else in the video is seen filming with a smartphone  
• The audio sounds off: someone yelling to get away from the stairs when no one is there; unnatural cadence when talking about smoke; generic voices and accents

A spokesperson for Dubai Airport said that a concourse at Dubai International (DXB) had sustained minor damage in an incident, which was quickly contained. While both DXB and Dubai World Central (DWC) airports had suspended operations following the temporary partial closure of airspace, they resumed limited airport operations on March 2.

Tips on how you can spot fakes

As social media gets inundated with viral videos depicting shocking scenes, it gets harder and harder to see what's real. How can you spot fakes?

1. Look closely at a video: Watch it several times, both with sound turned on and off. Do objects blend into each other? Does the audio make sense? Is there movement that defies gravity or logic, like the antennas on the roof collapsing before the missile hit?
2. Check if the video or photo is really showing current events: Take a screenshot and run it through a reverse image search tool like Google Lens. This will show if it's been used before, possibly in a different context. Often, older videos of previous attacks are being recycled and attributed to a new conflict.
3. Rely on trustworthy sources: Is footage from multiple angles available? Are trusted news organizations reporting on the same event? Are there other verified visuals, such as photos from the scene?

Emad Hassan, Monir Ghaedi and Torsten Neuendorff contributed to this report.

Edited by: Rayna Breuer, Rachel Baig