Viral video of Dubai plane crash near Tel Aviv airport was AI-generated, fact check finds

ISLAMABAD: A widely shared video on X that purported to show a Dubai Airbus A380 crashing in a residential area near Tel Aviv’s airport after being struck by Iranian missiles was fabricated, according to a fact check originally published by iVerify Pakistan, a project of CEJ-IBA and UNDP.

The fact check said no such crash took place and concluded that the footage was generated using artificial intelligence. The clip had circulated since Monday across multiple accounts on the social media platform, where it was presented as showing a passenger aircraft going down near the Israeli airport amid the ongoing regional conflict.

One account described as pro-Iranian based on its past posts shared the video with the caption “Breaking: A Dubai plane carrying Israeli soldiers crashed into a residential area near Tel Aviv’s airport, killing all the Israeli soldiers, according to reports. During the crash, Israeli media is claiming that the plane was hit by a fragment of an Iranian hypersonic missile”

The post drew 6.2 million views, the fact check said. Another account, also described as pro-Iranian based on its previous posts and profile picture, reposted the same video the same day with similar wording and received 40,000 views. The same footage was also circulated by several other X accounts, which together amassed 48,000 views.

Visual inconsistencies identified

The fact check said it was launched because of the video’s wide reach and public interest in the conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran. On reviewing the footage, investigators said several visual anomalies were visible.

They noted that the Airbus A380, described as the world’s largest passenger airliner, appeared to be flying extremely close to cars and houses. Given the aircraft’s size, the force generated by it would be expected to affect nearby surroundings, yet the structures shown in the video appeared unchanged.

It also said that at the one-second mark, the aircraft’s wing seemed to pass through electricity wires and a pole. In addition, the landing gear appeared to strike rooftops without causing visible damage.

AI detection tools and searches

The clip was then tested using AI-detection tools. Hive Moderation assessed the video as 99% AI-generated. Sora AI video detector marked it as 33% AI-generated, indicating that it may have been altered or synthetically manipulated. Hive Detection separately flagged it as 99.4% AI-generated.

A keyword search found no reports from what the fact check described as credible mainstream international, Emirati or Israeli media about any Dubai plane crash in Tel Aviv. A reverse image search also did not produce any evidence that credible Israeli or international media outlets had used the clip in coverage of the war.

The fact check therefore rated the claim false and said the video did not depict a real incident.

Conflict context cited in the report

The current conflict between the United States, Israel and Iran began on February 28 after joint US-Israeli strikes targeted Iranian military, nuclear and leadership sites. Iran responded by launching hundreds of missiles and drones toward Israel as well as US military bases and allied infrastructure across the Middle East.

According to the same report, Iran’s retaliation also included attacks on Gulf countries and strategic energy infrastructure, including ports and oil facilities, contributing to regional instability and disruption in global energy supplies.