AI-generated video falsely linked to Israel-Iran conflict ceasefire
- Published on July 8, 2025 at 16:19
- 4 min read
- By Samad UTHMAN, AFP Nigeria
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“Isreal is asking for peace (sic),” reads the text overlay on a Facebook video published on June 25, 2025.
Shared more than 3,000 times, the eight-second video features individuals depicted as Israeli officials at a press conference, with US and Israeli flags visible in the background.
“We are urging Washington, please intervene,” the man standing behind a lectern appears to say as those around him look on. “Force a ceasefire. We cannot fight Iran any longer.”
Comments under the video suggest that some viewers believe it is genuine.
“It's fight to finish, no retreat, no surrender. Next time, don't mess with any country (sic),” reads one comment.
“Why are you appealing? You think Iran is weak as Palestinian (sic),” another user wrote.
On June 13, 2025, Iran launched a massive retaliatory strike, launching more than 100 drones toward Israel and declaring these actions a direct response to Israel’s “preemptive” Operation Rising Lion, targeting Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure (archived here and here).
A US-brokered ceasefire took hold after 12 days of intense exchanges, with Iran agreeing to a pause contingent on reciprocal action from Israel (archived here).
Tehran also voiced “serious doubts” over Israel’s commitment to the truce (archived here).
However, the video purportedly showing Israel urging the United States to enforce a ceasefire with Iran is fabricated.
AI-generated video
AFP Fact Check used the video verification tool InVID-WeVerify to conduct reverse image searches on keyframes from the video.
The results led to a higher-resolution version of the video published on TikTok on June 24, 2025 — a day before it was shared on Facebook (archived here).
@nationstream.usa Israel BEGS USA: ‘We Can’t Fight Iran Anymore’ — Ceasefire NOW!" #IsraelIranConflict#CeasefireNow#MiddleEastCrisis#IsraelUSA#BreakingNews#Geopolitics#WW3Alert#TelAvivUnderFire#RealWarFootage#PoliticalDrama#Veo3Realism#GlobalTensions#StopTheWar#EmergencyPressConference♬ original sound - NationStream USA
The TikTok video has a clear “Veo” watermark in the bottom right corner. The same watermark is present but less visible in the Facebook post.
Veo is Google’s new AI-powered video creation tool, which generates realistic-looking videos up to eight seconds long — the exact length of both the Facebook and TikTok clips (archived here).
The TikTok video was published by an account called “nationstream.usa” that features other pro-Iranian AI-generated videos (archived here).
AFP Fact Check also extracted the audio from the Facebook video and analysed it using InVID-WeVerify’s audio detection tool. The result indicated an 88% possibility of the audio being artificially created.
Additionally, the video exhibits several glitches characteristic of AI-generated videos.
For instance, the speaker’s right-hand fingers placed on the lectern repeatedly disappear throughout the clip while the phones held by the people on the right side of the screen morph when they move.
The Facebook video does not show real Israeli officials, either, nor could AFP Fact Check find any credible evidence of Israel calling a ceasefire.
More AFP Fact Check debunks on AI-generated videos linked to the Iran-Israel conflict can be found here, here and here.
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