Thai PBS Verify found the fake image on: X
An X account shared an image resembling a fireball falling from the sky into a city.
Thai PBS Verify found that an X account shared an image resembling a fireball falling from the sky into a city. The caption was written in Spanish: “Tel aviv 2 de marzo de 2026. Ataque iraní Entonces… Así se ve la justicia divina?” It could be translated to Thai as: “Tel Aviv, March 2, 2026. Iranian attack. So then… is this what divine justice looks like?”
The post received 202,700 views, 1,100 reactions, more than 2,300 reposts, and 601 comments. The same image was also reposted by other X and Instagram accounts.
This incident in Tel Aviv never really happened
Upon visual inspection, several details suggest the image is unlikely to depict a real incident, as follows:
- Trajectory of the light: The orange streaks descending in the image appear unnatural. In real images of missiles or air defense systems, light trails typically show curvature following the missile’s path, centrifugal motion or fragmentation. In this image, however, the streaks appear as “overly parallel straight lines,” resembling digital brush strokes layered onto the scene. Importantly, the brightness remains “uniform along the entire length,” whereas in reality, light emitted by high-speed objects usually varies in intensity along the trajectory, with brighter head and fading tail.
- Smoke and shadows: The dark smoke at the bottom spreads in a way that does not match the brightness of the descending object, and the rising smoke appears to be a graphic overlaid onto the image.
- City details – lights without sources: The lights in the building windows look like orange dots randomly painted on, not corresponding to the structure of the rooms inside the buildings.
- Symmetry and composition: The difference between the “sky” and the “city” looks like two layers pasted together rather than a single real scene. The bright light in the sky does not reflect onto rooftops or streets as it naturally would, lacking realistic light interaction.
At the same time, Thai PBS Verify analyzed the image with Google Lens and found that it was AI-generated by Google. The image also resembles or is similar to one that appeared in news reports in 2025.
The image verification shows that the image was AI-generated.
Additionally, when the image was checked with the HIVE MODERATION tool, it was found to be AI-generated at a rate of 99%.
HIVE MODERATION found the image in question to be 99% AI-generated.
Comparison of fake and real images
Comparing the real city of Tel Aviv with the image from the post: Thai PBS Verify conducted a keyword search for “Tel Aviv” and found that AFP news had images of Tel Aviv during the conflict between Iran and Israel on March 2, 2026. The AFP images are different from the ones being shared online.
Comparison of Tel Aviv city images: the AI-generated one (left) versus the AFP photography (right).
The caption of the AFP image reads:
“March 2, 2026 – 07:00 AM
Tel Aviv, Israe
Photo by AHMAD GHARABLI / AFP
Rocket trails from an interception by Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system are pictured over Tel Aviv on March 1, 2026.
The United States and Israel launched strikes against Iran on February 28, with Israel’s public broadcaster reporting that the Iranian supreme leader had been targeted, as the Islamic republic retaliated with barrages of missiles at Gulf states and Israel.”
How is the current situation in Tel Aviv?
According to the Times of Israel website on March 1, 2026, a woman in her 40s, who worked as a caregiver for a foreign elderly person, was killed when an Iranian missile struck a residential building in Tel Aviv on Saturday night. She is reported as the first casualty in Israel from this new round of fighting. Additionally, 27 people were injured, including several young children. Rescue teams are working to assist those trapped in heavily damaged buildings.
Israeli authorities stated that the missile that hit was intact, not just debris from interception. This incident occurred after Israel and the U.S. launched attacks on targets in Iran, prompting Iran to respond with a large number of missile strikes, escalating tensions and increasing the risk of the conflict spreading further.
What is the truth?
Thai PBS Verify checked the image accompanying reports of clashes in Tel Aviv involving Iran. After using image verification tools and Google Lens, the image was found to be AI-generated. They had also previously been used in news reports about Iran launching long-range missiles at various bases across Israel in June 2025, injuring at least 40 people in response to attacks on nuclear facilities.
Therefore, the image does not depict the current events. Meanwhile, the conflict situation in Tel Aviv remains tense.
