A Hezbollah hideout stuffed with cash? Nope, this video was AI-generated

A widely circulated video claiming to depict a plane crash in Tel Aviv, Israel, following an alleged Iranian attack has been debunked as fabricated. The footage, which gained over five million views on social media platform X, was uploaded on August 26 by a fake account impersonating Donald Trump Jr. However, the account is not officially linked to U.S. President Donald Trump's son. The video shows a large passenger jet crashing into a building, with the person recording the incident speaking in Russian. They describe the scene, stating, “Just now, a plane crashed into a building. Look, it’s stuck there. It’s a huge passenger jet; the windows shattered. My god, this is really happening. I don’t know how long it will hold.” According to the captions accompanying the video, the footage was supposedly recorded in Tel Aviv and attributed to an Iranian attack. However, there is no evidence confirming the occurrence of such an attack. Investigations revealed that the video had previously appeared online in March 2026, posted by a pro-Iranian account named Asif Ali. This detail raises questions about the authenticity of the footage. A search using the keywords “plane crash Tel Aviv” yielded no credible reports about the type of crash depicted in the video. Neither reliable media outlets nor official channels from Tel Aviv or Israeli authorities mentioned any such incident in August 2026 or earlier in the year. Further scrutiny showed that the video did not surface on any trusted media platforms either in March or August 2026. Screenshots of the footage were subjected to a reverse image search, revealing no prior sharing by reputable sources. Additionally, neither the official X accounts operated by Israeli authorities nor those managed by the city of Tel Aviv referenced a plane crash similar to the one shown in the video during 2026 or in previous years. Experts suspect the video may have been generated using artificial intelligence. Several visual and auditory cues support this theory. One notable aspect is the presence of a crowd near the wreckage, positioned in an area seemingly marked by yellow tape, suggesting a high-risk zone. This positioning appears inconsistent with standard safety protocols typically observed during aviation incidents. Another discrepancy involves a fire truck visible in the footage, which lacks the characteristic yellow stripes commonly found on fire trucks in Tel Aviv. Moreover, the aircraft featured in the video does not display any identifiable logos or features that could indicate its manufacturer or airline affiliation. These observations, combined with other findings, suggest the video might be AI-generated. Analysis using the AI detection tool Hiya indicated a 99% likelihood that the audio within the video was artificially produced. Recent developments include reports of Iranian missile attacks directed at Israel on June 7, 2026, marking the first such strikes since a ceasefire agreement. Despite these recent tensions, there is no verified connection between the viral video and any new attacks targeting Tel Aviv. The absence of corroborating evidence continues to cast doubt on the authenticity of the footage circulating online.