AI-generated video falsely shared as US military plane struck by Iran - Yahoo

In May 2026, amidst heightened tensions between US and Iranian forces, a deepfake video surfaced, falsely claiming to show a US Air Force A-10 Warthog damaged by Iranian fire. The video, shared across multiple platforms, purported to depict the aftermath of a US military operation to rescue pilots.

What happened

The 16-second video showed a damaged aircraft, falsely identified as a US A-10 Thunderbolt II. The clip was shared with claims that the damage was inflicted by Iranian forces during a rescue mission. Analysis revealed visual inconsistencies, such as blurred numbers on the runway and unnatural movements of figures in the video. Tools like Hive Moderation and Google's SynthID detected AI generation. Further investigation revealed that the video repurposed elements from a 2003 image of an aircraft damaged during the Iraq War.