On June 22, a Facebook user known for frequently spreading false information, Merab Ratishvili, posted a video claiming to show Iran’s nuclear facilities being bombed by the United States. The video consists of two different clips.
The circulated footage does not show the U.S. bombing of Iranian nuclear facilities. The first clip is from 2020 and depicts a fire at a warehouse in the port of Beirut; the second clip is generated by artificial intelligence.
The footage shared on Facebook is not related to any U.S. bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities. The first clip shows the explosion that occurred on August 4, 2020, in a warehouse at the Beirut port, caused by a fire involving 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate improperly stored for many years. In the video posted on Facebook, this footage appears as a mirrored frame.
The second clip, which depicts the explosion, was AI-generated. To verify the footage, the online tool decopy.ai was used. According to the tool’s results, the frames were 94.7% AI-generated. Traces of AI are also visually evident upon close inspection. The video shows unnaturally moving frames, and the color of the explosion is unrealistic. These are features that are often characteristic of AI-generated visuals.
This footage has been actively circulating on English-language accounts (1, 2, 3) across various platforms.
The conflict between Israel and Iran began on June 13, when Israel attacked Iran. In response, Iran bombed Israel, including the capital, Tel Aviv. Israel’s primary targets included Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, military generals, and scientists involved in Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The clips shared on social networks are visual manipulations and not related to this process. On June 23, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Iran had agreed to a ceasefire.
Myth Detector has verified several false claims and visual manipulations related to this conflict.
Prepared by Ketevan Janezashvili
Myth Detector Lab
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