On May 18, 2026, a 25-second video was posted on X by @IranNewsFeedX. The post claimed that the footage showed damage caused by an explosion in Tel Aviv.
The video received more than
46,800 views, over 2,300 likes, and more than 995 reposts. To determine whether
the footage had been generated using artificial intelligence, it was analyzed
using Google SynthID and HIVE Moderation. Both tools indicated that the video
was authentic and not AI-generated. The footage clearly displays a sign reading
“Royal Yak.” However, further investigation found no business by that name
operating in Tel Aviv. Moreover, no reputable news sources reported an
explosion in Tel Aviv on the date the video was shared.
To verify the origin of the
footage, selected frames were examined using Google’s reverse image search. The
analysis revealed that the images were taken from an explosion and subsequent
fire that occurred on January 16, 2025, at a casino located in Plaza Cinépolis
in Culiacán, Mexico.
In conclusion, while the video
contains authentic footage and was not generated using artificial intelligence,
it does not depict an explosion in Tel Aviv. Instead, the video shows a real
event that occurred in a different country and at a different time. By
presenting genuine footage in a misleading context, the post constitutes an
example of disinformation. This case demonstrates that even authentic visual
content can be manipulated through false attribution, underscoring the
importance of verifying not only whether images are real but also where and
when they were recorded.
