Tel Aviv Missile Attack Photo Unmasked As AI
Claim: A photograph circulating on social media in June 2025 showed dozens of missiles raining down simultaneously on Tel Aviv.
In mid-June 2025, during a period of heightened tensions and ongoing military conflict between Iran and Israel, an image gained widespread attention on social media. It appeared to depict numerous missiles striking the Tel Aviv skyline at night.
One influential X post (archived here) featuring the image boldly stated, "This is not AI. This is Tel Aviv." The post amassed over 27.2 million views at the time of reporting.
X post by @White_Ghost187.
The image quickly propagated across various social media platforms. On Facebook, one post (archived version) simply captioned "Tel Aviv" garnered over 32,000 reactions. The image was also shared on X (formerly Twitter) by multiple users, as well as on Threads, Instagram, and YouTube.
The Truth Revealed: An AI-Generated Image
Despite its viral spread, the image was not an authentic photograph of Tel Aviv or any real missile strike. It was, in fact, created using artificial intelligence (AI) software and did not represent actual events. Reputable news outlets did not publish the image, and importantly, the original creator later admitted to using AI for its generation.
Unmasking the Deception: How the AI Image Spread
The image was disseminated primarily through social media accounts, rather than official news channels. Furthermore, it exhibited several tell-tale signs of AI generation. Notably, the smoke trails from the depicted missiles were overly uniform and stylized, lacking the natural, chaotic variations seen in actual missile strikes.
Open-source intelligence (OSINT) and disinformation experts swiftly moved to debunk the image. Shayan Sardarizadeh, a journalist with BBC Verify, commented on X: "Sorry to disappoint the 11 million users who viewed this tweet and the 127,000 who liked it, but this is AI. It certainly isn't Tel Aviv."
X post by Shayan Sardarizadeh of BBC Verify.
Tracing the Source: The AI Creator
Tal Hagin, a researcher specializing in misinformation and disinformation, successfully traced the image's origin to a Facebook user named Mhamad Yusif. Hagin stated, "this AI image was created by Mhamad Yusif, an AI Creator on June 13th, 2025," and pointed out, "If you look closely, you can even see his watermark still visible in the image."
X post by misinformation researcher Tal Hagin.
Further investigation using Google reverse image search confirmed that Yusif's Facebook post on June 13 was the earliest identified upload of the image. Initially, social media posts on Threads (another example here) and Facebook shared the complete image, which was subsequently cropped in more viral versions.
The original Facebook post by the creator (archived version) is accessible online.
Crucially, the watermark present in the original image was removed in many of the versions that went viral. This alteration was highlighted by researchers such as Hagin and Alexandre Capron.
The comparison below illustrates the original image (left) with its watermark and the cropped version (right) that circulated widely on social media.
Comparison: Original AI image by Mhamad Yusif (left), cropped viral version (right). (Snopes Illustration)
Creator's Response and AI Prompt
In the comments section of his original post, when questioned about the use of AI, Yusif responded (translated from Arabic), "The picture flew away. It's not my fault." This indicates he was aware of its unintended viral spread. Another user commented, "No artificial intelligence images in this topic," highlighting the confusion stemming from the image's misrepresentation as real news.
Yusif also shared the original prompt he used to create the image with AI software:
"A highly detailed cinematic wide shot of glowing fiery trails falling from the sky over a modern city at night. The light trails resemble meteor showers or celestial phenomena, illuminating the cloudy sky in hues of orange and red. Below, the cityscape shows buildings with lights on, some faint smoke rising between them, adding a sense of tension and mystery. The style is ultra-realistic with dramatic lighting and a moody atmosphere, resembling a scene from a high-budget disaster or sci-fi movie."
Further Corroboration and Real Imagery
The fact-checking organization LeadStories also investigated the image. They noted discrepancies, such as authentic coverage of the conflict showing "defensive weapons streaking upward and far fewer falling projectiles." Additionally, they pointed out that Tel Aviv's actual skyline features over 50 tall towers, contrasting with the "low-slung town" depicted in the AI image.
For comparison, an authentic photograph from Tel Aviv on June 13, 2025, illustrates the actual aftermath of Iranian missile strikes:
Authentic photo from Tel Aviv, June 13, 2025. (Getty Images)
The Ongoing Challenge of Misinformation
This incident is not isolated. Snopes recently fact-checked another piece of media—a video allegedly showing buildings ablaze in Tel Aviv from an Iranian missile strike in June 2025. That investigation revealed the footage predated the actual missile strikes by at least a month.
