Middle East crisis
Video claiming destruction of Iranian airbase turns out to be 2025 Dubai warehouse fire
Thai PBS Verify has found that a post claiming an Iranian airbase was destroyed is, in fact, footage from a warehouse fire that occurred in Dubai back in 2025.
May 26, 2026
2022 footage of Taliban clash with Pakistani military distorted as Hezbollah attack on Israeli soldiers
Thai PBS Verify has debunked a video on X that falsely claims to show a Hezbollah ambush on an Israeli military vehicle, resulting in more than 10 deaths. In reality, the footage is old and actually records a 2022 incident in Pakistan.
May 20, 2026
Archived footage combined with AI-generated content to claim Iranian attack on U.S. Navy
A social media video claims to show an Iranian drone attack on the U.S. Navy, destroying the latter’s ships and helicopters. Thai PBS Verify concludes that the video is AI-generated, containing images from a 2017 naval collision incident and those of a 1992 helicopter crash. The video is thus unrelated to the current situation in the Middle East.
May 19, 2026
2019 video recycled to allege U.S. destroyer fleeing Iranian boats
Thai PBS Verify has found that a video claiming a U.S. destroyer fled Iranian gunboats in the Strait of Hormuz is old footage from 2019. It was filmed during the time of tension between Iran and the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, claims about the U.S. F-35 broadcasting an emergency signal over the Gulf of Oman and the UAE have been tracked back to emergency landing reports in Chinese media.
May 13, 2026
Video of Iranian strike on UAE found to be footage from 2023 fire in France
Thai PBS Verify has identified a viral Threads post, featuring a video of an urban fire, falsely claiming to show an Iranian drone and missile attack on the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Upon investigation, the footage was found to be derived from a 2023 shopping center fire during riots in France. The clip has been taken out of context and bears no connection to current events in the Middle East.
May 8, 2026
Russia-Ukraine war footage distorted as recent Iranian strikes on UAE and Bahrain oil refineries
Recently watched over 1.4 million times, a video from the Russia-Ukraine war decontextualized and shown as Iranian strikes on UAE and Bahrain oil refineries during the ongoing Middle East crisis.
May 8, 2026
2016 military exercise video distorted as recent Iranian-U.S. clash in Strait of Hormuz
A social media page has shared a video, claiming the Iranian Navy launched an attack on US ships in the Strait of Hormuz during the 2026 Middle East crisis. Thai PBS Verify has examined the footage and has found it to be an old clip from 2016. The original video depicts a naval exercise to sink a decommissioned vessel off the coast of Hawaii—not an actual current event.
May 6, 2026
Dubai hotel attack in February 2026 reappears out of context
Thai PBS Verify has examined a post, showing smoke billowing above a luxury hotel, Fairmont The Palm, in Dubai. Although the post is labelled as a “breaking” incident, the video depicts the fire incident in February 2026. At present, the hotel is operating normally, and there has been no repeated attack.
May 6, 2026
Alleged “breaking news” post with photos of deceased Palestinians found to be 2024 pictures
A social media post shows images of deceased Palestinians, and is labeled as "breaking news." This leads the public to believe it is a recent event. However, Thai PBS Verify has found that the images in question were taken during an unrelated incident in 2024. They have been recirculated without specifying the timeframe, causing the audience to be misled.
Apr 30, 2026
Hong Kong fire video distorted as incident in Tel Aviv
Thai PBS Verify has debunked a viral video claiming a massive fire in Tel Aviv. The examination suggests the footage is misleading, as it actually depicts the 2025 Hong Kong fire at the Wang Fuk Court building in Tai Po.
Apr 24, 2026
AI video claiming to show B-2 Spirit bomber heavily damaged following Iranian strikes
Thai PBS Verify has detected a video on Threads, claiming that Iran managed to shoot down a B-2 Spirit stealth bomber over Bahraini airspace, resulting in severe damage. However, following the examination, the footage is found to be nothing more than an AI-generated video.
Apr 24, 2026
Decontextualized naval exercises in Gulf of Oman shown as Iranian attack in Strait of Hormuz
Thai PBS Verify has debunked claims of an Iranian 'Ababil' drone strike in the Strait of Hormuz, identifying the footage as a naval exercise from August 2025 in the Gulf of Oman.
Apr 23, 2026
Attacked Iranian warship video distorted to claim Iran’s strikes on Indian tankers in Strait of Hormuz
Thai PBS Verify has identified a misleading video on Threads, claiming to show Iranian warships attacking two Indian oil tankers in the Strait of Hormuz. Upon examination, the footage actually depicts an Iranian naval vessel being struck by U.S. missiles.
Apr 21, 2026
Fake claim about U.S. soldiers searching Pakistani officials before peace talks
A social media post claims that U.S. soldiers searched Pakistani officials before attending the peace negotiations between the U.S. and Iran, causing embarrassment and disrespect. Thai PBS Verify has found that the image was AI-generated and that no such incident actually happened.
Apr 18, 2026
Image of U.S. soldier captured by Iran found to be AI-generated
Thai PBS Verify has found a post showing a U.S. soldier captured by the Iranian military. After the team’s verification, the photo is likely to be AI-generated.
Apr 10, 2026