On April 13, 2024, Iran launched over 300 drones and missiles at Israel in response to a suspected Israeli airstrike that destroyed Iran’s consulate in Syria and killed two Iranian generals, according to the Associated Press. Israel said it shot down almost all of the drones and missiles with its anti-missile defense system, backed by the U.S. and the United Kingdom.
Soon after news of the attack broke, an X account with over 1 million followers posted a video of what appears to be missiles fired up at planes at night. The post, which included the caption “WW3 HAS OFFICIALLY STARTED,” has been viewed more than 22 million times since it was posted.
VERIFY reader Dustin texted us to ask if the video really shows Israel air defense against Iran.
THE QUESTION
Does a video in a viral ‘WW3’ post really show Israel’s air defense against Iran?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
No, the video in a viral ‘WW3’ post does not really show Israel’s air defense against Iran.
WHAT WE FOUND
The video in a viral post claiming that “WW3 has officially started” does not depict Israel defending against Iranian missile and drone strikes. The computer-generated video was created in 2021 and is not real footage.
The video was created with computer-generated graphics and was posted to TikTok in October 2021. The person who originally posted it also uploaded the video to Instagram the same month.
A YouTube account named Borisao Blois, which is the same name as the accounts that posted the video to TikTok and Instagram, posted the video as part of a compilation of similar videos featuring WWII propeller planes.
The hashtags in both the uploads to TikTok and Instagram include “cgi,” “ww2” and “1940s.”
CGI stands for computer-generated imagery, which is a term used to refer to visuals in videos, images and video games that are created by a person using computer editing software.
The “ww2” and “1940s” hashtags suggest the video was meant to depict an air raid by propeller planes from World War II.
When Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2022, some people posted the same video to social media while claiming the video depicted a Russian attack on Ukraine. VERIFY fact-checked those posts, too.
The VERIFY team works to separate fact from fiction so that you can understand what is true and false. Please consider subscribing to our daily newsletter, text alerts and our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Learn More »
