CLAIM

Viral video of Iranian soldiers launching missiles towards Israel during ongoing conflict

RATING JUSTIFICATION

The iVerify Pakistan team investigated this content and determined that it is false.

To reach this conclusion, iVerify Pakistan conducted reverse image searches and analysed the video using AI detection tools.

Multiple users across social media platforms shared a video on March 4, 2026, claiming it shows Iranian soldiers launching missiles towards Israel amid the ongoing conflict. However, the video is AI-generated.

Israel and the United States launched joint military strikes on Iran on February 28, 2026, significantly escalating tensions in the Middle East. President Donald Trump confirmed that the US had begun major combat operations, stating that the objective was to eliminate imminent threats from Iran and protect the American people.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — who had led the Islamic Republic for more than three decades — was killed in a strike in the early hours of Feb 28. The attack was carried out by the US and Israel, both of which had previously called for regime change in Tehran.

Iran condemned the strikes as unprovoked and illegal. In response, it launched missile attacks targeting Israel and at least seven other countries, including Gulf states that host US military bases, and vowed retaliation for Khamenei’s assassination.

HOW IT STARTED

On March 4, a pro-Iranian military account shared a video on X that seemingly showed Iranian soldiers firing missiles from artillery vehicles.

The post gained 1.7 million views.

On the same day, a Turkish digital media outlet shared the same video on X with the following caption: “Footage has captured missiles launched from Iran! The footage recorded in the late hours shows the moment when missiles launched from Iran towards Tel Aviv illuminated the sky.”

The post gained 418,800 views.

The same video with similar captions was further circulated across multiple social media platforms, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

METHODOLOGY

A fact-check was initiated due to the video’s high virality and keen public interest in the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran.

A reverse image search was conducted to check whether the viral clip was shared by any credible Iranian or international media outlets in their reporting of the attacks but yielded no results.

Inspecting the footage shows that the text on the missiles in the video appears blurry and unreadable, which is a common characteristic of AI-generated imagery. The first missile in the video also displays only one Iranian flag while the other three display two flags.

Furthemore, significant distortion is present in the facial structure and nose of the third soldier from the left as he turns his head at the 1-second mark. His hairline at the back of the head changes while his nose also suddenly changes to becoming more pointed.

Analysing the clip using AI detection tools showed that Hive Moderation flagged it as 63.8 per cent AI-generated.

Similarly, Sightengine flagged it as 71pc AI-generated.

FACT-CHECK STATUS: FALSE

The claim that a viral video shows Iranian soldiers launching missiles towards Israel amid the ongoing conflict is false.

While missile exchanges between Iran and Israel have occurred in recent days, this specific video is AI-generated.

MULTIPLE CLAIMS

At the same time, iVerify Pakistan observed multiple other claims regarding the conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran. Here are more claims that were debunked by the platform.

Viral video of destruction in Tel Aviv after Iran’s revenge — FALSE

On March 3, a pro-Iranian account on X shared a video allegedly showing a large pile of rubble resembling a collapsed multi-story building, while a nearby street appears jammed with vehicles, possibly halted due to the destruction.

The caption read: “Iran seeks revenge. Tel Aviv just moments ago became a ghost city. Watch the scale of the enormous destruction.”

The post garnered over 1.1m views.

The same video, with a similar caption, was also shared by another pro-Iranian account, accumulating more than 118,000 views.

Several other X users also shared the same video with similar claim. The posts can be seen here, here, here , here ; collectively gaining over 20,000 views.

A reverse image search yielded a news report published on February 6, 2023, by a local Chinese digital media outlet, Peopleapp.com, titled: “The powerful earthquake in Türkiye has claimed 912 lives in the country and 326 lives in Syria”.

The report featured the same video.

According to the article, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan confirmed that the February 6, 2023, earthquake killed 912 people in Türkiye, injured 5,383 others, and caused 2,818 buildings to collapse. The Syrian Ministry of Health also reported 326 deaths and 1,042 injuries in Syria, particularly in the provinces of Latakia, Aleppo, Hama, and Tartus.

A news report by BBC News dated February 6, 2023, also covered the same earthquake.

Additionally, the same video was shared by multiple accounts on X and Facebook in February 2023 in the context of the devastating earthquake in Turkiye.

Therefore, the claim that a viral video shows destruction in Tel Aviv after Iran’s revenge is false. The video is old from Feb 2023 and shows scenes after an earthquake struck Turkiye and Syria.

Viral video of Iran withdrawing missiles from secret base to prepare for war against US and Israel — FALSE

On March 3, a pro-Iranian account on X shared a video allegedly showing Iran withdrawing its stockpile of missiles from a secret underground base.

The caption read: “When the earth is shaken with its [final] quake and the earth discharges its burdens. Iran has withdrawn its stockpile of missiles from its secret base to defeat the devil America and Israel.”

The post garnered over 2.4m views.

The same video, with a similar claim, was also circulated by several other X users, as can be seen here, here, here and here.

Inspecting the video revealed multiple inconsistencies typical of digital manipulation. The stones visible in the lower right corner appear to move unnaturally, while the cave walls throughout the footage display subtle distortions instead of remaining structurally static.

The video was analysed using AI-detection tools, showing that Hive Moderation flagged it as 98pc likely to be AI-generated.

During the investigation, it was also found that the same AI-generated video was shared in June 2025 as well during the Iran-Israel conflict, as can be seen here and here.

Therefore, the claim that a viral video shows Iran withdrawing missiles from a secret base to prepare for war against the United States and Israel is false. The video is AI-generated.

Viral video of Iranian missiles hitting Tel Aviv — MISLEADING

On March 2, an account on X shared a video of missiles hitting the ground with the following caption “Footage from Tel Aviv, Israel, missile impact.”

The post gained 852,000 views.

The same video in a similar context was shared by another account on X on March 2 with the following caption: “Tel Aviv right now. The night is shaping up to be very difficult for Israel. Massive attacks are being reported, and as we can see, no defence system can intercept everything when they arrive in large numbers.”

The post gained 1.2m views.

A user also shared the same video in a similar context, gaining 1.4m views and 21,000 likes.

A pro-Iran user shared the same video with a similar context on March 3. The post was captioned: “The historic night has begun now; Rockets are raining down non-stop on Tel Aviv. Feast your eyes”

The post accumulated 1.4m views, and 25,000 users liked it.

A pro-Palestinian user shared the same video on Instagram in a different context, saying it showed Iranian strikes on a US military base in Sheikh Issa, Bahrain.

The post gained 1.5m views, and it gained 60,000 likes.

The same video with a similar context was shared by multiple other users on several social media platforms, such as YouTube; X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here; Facebook as seen here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here and here; and Instagram as can seen here, here, here, here and here.

Inspecting the video showed Arabic text at the bottom that appeared slightly blurred. The text reads: “The Islamic Republic of Iran is targeting a key military and security installation … Operation True Promise 2,” dated October 10, 2024.

A keyword search for “Operation True Promise 2” yielded an October 2, 2024, YouTube video by Indian media outlet India Today that also featured the same clip.

Operation True Promise 2 was Iran’s name for the attack it launched on Israel in October 2024 in retaliation for the latter’s assassinations of the chiefs of Hamas and Hezbollah.

Therefore, the claim that a viral video shows Iranian missiles hitting Tel Aviv during the current conflict between the countries is misleading. The video is old from a previous Israeli attack on Iran in October 2024.

Viral video of Iranian ballistic missiles attacking Israel — FALSE

On March 3, a user shared a video on X of a missle attack with the following caption: “Up to this point, the Iranians have been deliberately sending out their outdated missiles and cheap drones as disposable decoys, fully aware they were expendable, just to bleed US and Israeli air defences dry. And that strategy worked. Now they’re dropping the pretense. They’re moving on to their more sophisticated ballistic missiles and advanced drones, raising the stakes and tightening the pressure. Interceptor stockpiles are already running dangerously low, and the strain is hitting the United States, Israel, and their allies really hard.”

The post gathered 4m views.

Another user shared the same post and gathered over 113,000.

The same video was also circulated by several other users on X, as can be seen here and here.

The same video was also shared on Facebook and YouTube

Inspecting the video highlighted an anomaly wherein a separate smoke trail was also present alongside the missile with no apparent source.

Checking the video through AI detection tools showed that Hive Moderation flaggd it as being 95pc AI-generated.

Undetectable AI flagged itas being 88pc fake.

Therefore, the claim that a viral video shows Iranian ballistic missiles attacking Israel is false. The clip is AI-generated.

Viral video showing Israelis in panic — FALSE

On March 3, a user shared a video on X allegedly showing a group of orthodox Jews running in panic after an apparent attack.

The post gathered over 241,000 views.

The same video was shared by multiple users, here and here, claiming that the footage was from an attack in Israel.

The same video was also shared on TikTok, and on Youtube here and here.

Inspecting the video showed that the faces of the people appeared to be distorted and melted, a typical sign of AI-generated visuals.

Checking the footage through AI detection tools shoed that Hive Moderation flagged it as being 52pc AI-generated.

Therefore, the claim that a viral video shows Israelis panicking after an attack is false. The clip is AI-generated.

Viral video of Iranian missile hitting Tel Aviv — FALSE

On March 3, a Libyan user on X shared a video of a missile strike with the following caption: “The strongest scene since the war: the moment the Iranian hypersonic missile falls in Tel Aviv”.

The post gained 17,000 views.

Ahmed Hamdan, a Palestinian journalist, shared the same video on March 4 on X with the following caption: “Iranian rockets and explosions in Tel Aviv. A fierce night, may God guide the shots, O Lord.”

The post accumulated 1.5m views.

Ayman Aljedi, another Palestinian journalist, shared the same video on Instagram with the following caption: “Violent explosions after Iranian missiles reach Haifa.”

The post garnered 556,000 views and was liked by 14,000 users.

The same video was shared by multiple other users on several social media platforms with a similar context, such as YouTube; Threads; X, as can be seen here, here, here, here, here, here and here; Facebook, as seen here, here, here and here; and Instagram, as seen here, here and here. It collectively gained more than 130,000 views.

Analysing the clip with AI detection tool Sight Engine showed the video was flagged as 79pc AI-generated, Decopy labelled it 100pc AI-generated and Hive Moderation said the clip was likely to contain 77pc AI-generated or deepfake content.

Therefore, the claim that a viral video shows an Iranian hypersonic missile hitting Tel Aviv is false. The viral clip is AI-generated.