UAE
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
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
Ajman fruit market fire video in Dubai distorted as 2026 Iranian attack
Thai PBS Verify examined the viral video of a fire at the Ajman fruit market in Dubai, UAE. The video was falsely claimed to show an Iranian attack in retaliation for the US military presence in the Middle East. In reality, the footage was from an earlier fire incident in 2020.
Mar 5, 2026