AI image of Israeli troops captured by Iran misleads online
- Published on May 7, 2026 at 11:37
- 2 min read
- By AFP Indonesia
Iran has imposed a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz since the start of the Middle East war, but online posts that the Islamic republic captured dozens of Israeli soldiers carrying out a secret mission in the crucial waterway share an AI-generated image. There have been no official reports about the incident described in the posts, while the picture bears many visual inconsistencies that are signs it was a fabrication.
"Dozens of Israeli soldiers have reportedly been captured by Iranian forces while carrying out a secret mission in the Strait of Hormuz. The operation, which took place amid rising tensions in the region, failed after their movements were detected by Iranian forces," says an Indonesian-language Facebook post uploaded on May 2, 2026.
"The soldiers are currently being held under strict Iranian military security for interrogation and further investigation. This situation has further exacerbated the already heated conflict in the Middle East, particularly along this strategic global trade route."
The attached image -- which has garnered more than 4,000 likes -- appears to show Iranian troops guarding a group of captured Israeli soldiers.
The war in the Middle East, launched by the United States and Israel in late February, saw Iran respond with attacks across the region and impose a chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz, rattling global energy markets (archived link).
US President Donald Trump said on May 7 that a deal to end the war was "very possible" but warned Washington would resume bombing if talks failed.
The fabricated image spread widely in Muslim-majority Indonesia, which has no formal diplomatic relations with Israel.
Comments to the posts indicate many users appear to believe it to be genuine.
"What a beautiful view. Stay healthy, our brother Iran," read one of the replies. Another wrote: "These are the soldiers that Trump ordered to take Iran's oil factory."
However, there have been no official reports that dozens of Israeli soldiers were captured by Iran in the Strait of Hormuz, as of May 7.
An analysis of the image found visual inconsistencies that are tell-tale signs of AI-generated content.
They include distorted faces, strange tied hands with bonds that do not connect, and two Iranian soldiers standing behind the ship rail.
A combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google and Facebook found the image was earlier shared on Facebook on May 2.
The account identifies itself as a "digital creator", with a bio that reads: "AI is essentially a tool -- its intelligence comes from humans, but its value is determined by how we use it."
The profile has also uploaded similar visuals that appear to show captured US and Israeli soldiers (archived link).
AFP reached out to the account owner but a response was not forthcoming.
Further analysis of the image using the Hive Moderation detection tool found a 95.1 percent possibility that it was AI-generated (archived link).
AFP has previously debunked other misinformation stemming from the Middle East war.
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