Video of missile attack on American base in Qatar is AI creation
- Published on April 7, 2026 at 08:02
- 3 min read
- By Pierre MOUTOT, AFP France
- Translation and adaptation Akshita KUMARI, AFP India
Iran has targeted Israel and neighbouring Gulf nations in retaliation for the joint US-Israeli strikes on the Islamic republic since late February, but a video circulating on social media that purportedly shows an attack on an American military base in Qatar is AI-generated. There have been no reports of the supposed US base that was struck, and the video contains visual errors indicative of synthetically produced content.
"Haidriya -- American Base, Qatar: Close-up footage captures the impact of the strike," reads the caption of a Facebook video shared on March 17, 2026.
The video appears to show two missile strikes on a courtyard. There are multiple people and vehicles in the blast zone, suggesting the strikes led to injuries or deaths.
The clip was also shared in multiple languages in similar Facebook, Instagram and X posts.
It circulated as Iran targeted Israel and several neighbouring countries across the Gulf with daily missile barrages in retaliation for joint strikes conducted by the United States and Israel against the Islamic republic since late February (archived link).
Qatar's defense ministry reported on March 3 that an Iranian ballistic missile struck Al-Udeid Air Base, the largest US military installation in the Middle East, with no casualties (archived link).
AFP reported the base has been targeted at least twice since the start of the war (archived link).
But there have been no reports of an attack on a US base called "Haidriya", with the purported base not among those listed by the Congressional Research Service in 2024 (archived link).
Inconsistencies in the video, such as background audio cutting off abruptly and voices being unusually clear as well as visual errors, suggest the video was created using AI tools.
A closer look at the falsely shared video shows a US flag flying from a building in the courtyard appears to completely disappear just before the first missile strike.
The explosions send debris flying across the courtyard, with one piece appearing to change shape several times before seemingly passing through the perimeter's wall.
The falsely shared video is "likely to contain AI-generated or deepfake content", according to an analysis conducted using the Hive Moderation detection tool (archived link).
A reverse image search on Google using keyframes from the falsely shared video led to a similar clip posted on Instagram on March 16, by a user whose bio says they are an "AI creator" (archived link).
The video also includes the disclaimer, "This video was generated by AI".
The videos both appear to be filmed from a balcony from the same angle, and contain similar features -- such as vehicles and buildings -- that suggest these videos were generated with the same instructions using a generative AI model.
AFP reached out to the Instagram user for comment, but did not receive a response by time of publication.
The Middle East war has triggered a wave of misleading claims that AFP has debunked here.
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