AI clip of commotion at Dubai airport misleads online

"Dubai international airport is attacked by Iranian missile and current situation is worst (sic)," reads an X post that shared the clip March 7, 2026.

The 14-second video shows a crowd of people running with their luggage while an airport runway is on fire.

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Screenshot of the false post captured on March 8, 2026, with a red X and AI watermark added by AFP

Following a joint US-Israeli attack that killed Khamenei on February 28, Iranian forces retaliated against Israel and several Gulf states hosting US interests with missile and drone strikes (archived link).

Those targeted included the United Arab Emirates -- a US ally and home to American military installations. Explosions rocked Dubai's Palm Jumeirah man-made island and drone debris caused a fire at the Burj Al Arab ultra-luxury hotel.

Dubai airport was also among the targets and four staff were wounded as a concourse sustained "minor damage", according to its governing body (archived link).

The air hub partially resumed operations but was shut again briefly on March 7 after authorities said an unidentified object was intercepted (archived here and here). 

The video was shared elsewhere on X and also surfaced in Arabic-language posts. Separate posts sharing the same clip claimed it was filmed at an airport in Israel. 

But on closer inspection, the video contains visual errors that indicate it was fabricated.

These include a person walking through a glass panel on the left, pieces of luggage moving by themselves, and an unusually open waiting area at the end of the clip.

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Screenshots from the false clip showing visual inconsistencies, which are highlighted by AFP

An analysis using the Hive Moderation AI video detector tool found the video was "likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content" (archived link).

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Screenshot of the Hive Moderation tool result

AFP has debunked other misinformation stemming from the war in the Middle East.