ALBAWABA - Media studies have shown that a widely shared picture on social media that said it showed a Mossad spy being killed by being tied to an Iranian missile aimed at Israel was not real.
The picture, which shows a guy tied to an Iranian flag-wrapped missile, went viral online with reports that it showed the killing of an Israeli spy as tensions between Tehran and Tel Aviv continue to rise. The shocking claim said the man was sent toward Israel as a way for Iran to get back at Israel.
Al-Watan checked the facts and found that no reliable or government source confirmed that the picture was real. Mehr News Agency and other Iranian state media did report earlier today that Ismail Fekri had been put to death for spying and mischief on behalf of Mossad. He is still not connected to the picture going viral.
When the spreading photo of Fekri was compared to official pictures of him released by the Iranian government, it was found that his face features and overall look were very different. Iranian sources say that Fekri was caught in 2023 after security found evidence that he was involved with Israeli activities.
Image manipulation has been proven by experts.
Dr. Mona Eid, a specialist in digital forensics and spreading false information, told Al-Watan that the pictures going popular are fake. One was probably changed in Photoshop, and the other one looks like it was made with AI-based tools.
"There are clear signs that it was made up," she said. "The lighting is off, the body posture isn't right, and in one picture, the person's hands are missing and their face isn't clear—all of these are common signs of fake visual content."
Disinformation's dangers during times of crisis
Dr. Eid also stressed the risks of sharing fake images during times of high conflict, pointing out that they can be used to spread lies and hurt the trustworthiness of the media.
"These kinds of pictures can seriously hurt the credibility of Iranian media and spread false information in places that are already tense," she said. "Verifying content before accepting or sharing it is very important, especially during times of war or political unrest."
More and more people are worried about how fake images and material made by AI are being used in modern war stories, especially in battles where psychological operations and public opinion are very important.
