World News
Viral video claiming to show a Tel Aviv plane crash lacks evidence
The footage, which received millions of views on social media, contains strong indicators of being generated by artificial intelligence.
The short version
- A video showing a passenger plane embedded in a building has accumulated over five million views on X.
- Postings of the video claimed it depicted the aftermath of an Iranian attack in Tel Aviv, but no official sources or reliable media outlets have reported any such incident.
- Analyses of the footage reveal several inconsistencies and a 99% probability that the accompanying audio is AI-generated.
Key facts
- A video depicting a plane crash was posted on August 26 by an account impersonating Donald Trump Jr., garnering over five million views on X.[France 24]
- The same video had previously circulated online in March and April 2026 without any confirmation of its authenticity.[France 24]
- Neither the Israeli authorities nor the city of Tel Aviv have reported a plane crash fitting the video's description.[France 24]
- The audio detection tool Hiya determined there is a 99% probability that the Russian-language voiceover in the video was created by artificial intelligence.[France 24]
- Visual anomalies in the video include an unmarked airplane, onlookers standing directly under the hanging wreckage, and a fire truck lacking the yellow stripes typical of Tel Aviv emergency vehicles.[France 24]
What remains uncertain
- The exact origin of the video and the identity of its original creator remain unknown.[France 24]