As the military confrontation between Iran on one side and Israel and the United States on the other escalates, the war is no longer limited to missiles and drones alone, but has also extended to a new and more influential arena: social media platforms.
Over the past days, a massive number of misleading videos and fabricated news spread across the internet, coinciding with the escalation of military operations that began late last month. Experts indicate that part of this content comes within propaganda campaigns linked to Iranian entities aimed at influencing public opinion and projecting an image of military superiority or field achievements.
Fake Videos Spread Rapidly
Among the examples that sparked widespread controversy, a video spread heavily on social media showing crowds looking at a massive fire and smoke rising from a skyscraper, with claims that the building was in Bahrain and had been targeted in an Iranian attack.
But after scrutiny, it turned out that the video was completely fabricated, having been created using AI technologies, before being reshared by accounts linked to the Iranian government in an attempt to reinforce a media narrative about military successes.
Social Media Has Become a Battlefield
In this context, Melanie Smith, Executive Director of Policy and Research at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, explained that content published by government entities is usually directed toward building a specific narrative about the conflict.
She said that videos and images are used as powerful tools to support a political or military story that these entities seek to establish in the public mind.
For his part, Emerson Brooking, Director of Strategy at the Digital Forensic Research Lab of the Atlantic Council, confirmed that social media platforms have effectively become a front for digital warfare.
He added that users must realize they could become part of propaganda campaigns without even knowing it, even if they are thousands of kilometers away from the battlefield.
Exaggerated Narratives
During the early days of the conflict, pro-Iran accounts published narratives inflating the extent of damage and the number of casualties resulting from Iranian attacks, something that was also reinforced by some official media outlets inside Iran.
This led to the spread of numerous AI-generated videos depicting airstrikes or massive destruction, even though some bore no relation to reality.
Censorship Inside Iran Adds to the Ambiguity
Experts believe one reason for the spread of disinformation is the scarcity of information coming from inside Iran, due to internet restrictions and media censorship.
The absence of independent sources makes it difficult to verify events, which opens the door to the spread of conflicting narratives and fake content.
A similar phenomenon appeared in other conflicts such as the Russia-Ukraine war and the Israel-Gaza war, but the rapid development of AI tools has made producing disinformation today far easier.
Fame Seekers Contributed to the Chaos
The problem was not limited to political entities alone, as some ordinary users also contributed to amplifying disinformation with the goal of attracting views and followers.
During the early days of the war, old clips were reshared as recent, alongside footage taken from video games presented as real scenes from the battles.
A large number of clips generated entirely by AI were also circulated.
AI Multiplies the Risk of Disinformation
Smith confirmed that the volume of fake content being produced using AI has become alarming in its contamination of the information environment during times of crisis.
The ability to create realistic images and videos within minutes has made distinguishing truth from fiction more difficult than ever before.
Social Media Platforms Begin to Act
In an attempt to limit this digital chaos, the platform X (formerly Twitter) announced it would take action against accounts that publish AI-generated content related to conflict zones without clearly disclosing it.
According to the platform, monetization will be suspended for 90 days for the first violation, while the suspension may turn into a permanent ban in the event of a repeat violation.
The Information War Continues
As the military conflict continues, it appears that the information war on the internet will remain an essential part of the battle.
In the age of AI, battles are no longer decided only in the sky or on the ground, but also on phone screens and videos spreading across social media. For all that's new, follow Arabic websites and specialized blogs, alongside what's offered by Egypt stores and Kuwait stores and vitamin stores and international websites, along with Mashhor for social media services.
