Several users and accounts on social media platforms X and Facebook, on Sunday, circulated an image depicting the body of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei beneath rubble.
The image was posted on social media after his assassination in airstrikes conducted by the United States and Israel.
However, it has been confirmed that the image is AI-generated.
Khamenei killed in US strike
Khamenei, who presided over the Islamic Republic for more than three decades, was reportedly killed in a strike during the early hours of Sunday.
The strike was executed by the US and Israel, the two nations that have consistently advocated for regime change in Tehran.
Iran condemned the strikes as “unprovoked and illegal,” retaliating with missile attacks directed at Israel and at least seven other nations.
These countries included Gulf states that host US military bases, while pledging to avenge Khamenei’s assassination.
On March 1, a pro-Iranian user, shared an image of Khamenei under rubble on X, accompanied by the caption, “My leader sacrificed his life, yet the Muslim nation did not yield or betray the followers of Imam Hussain.”
The post quickly gained traction amassing 4.8 million views.
Fact check confirms Khamenei’s body image is fake
A supporter of the Indian National Congress was also one of many social media users who disseminated the image stating: “Salute to the martyrdom of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Sahib! May Allah bestow forgiveness.”
Numerous international digital media platforms, including Antikor, Ahdaath net, Our Islam 24, Harianaceh, Gelora, Andhraj Yothy, Dosja, Face News, Punjab Kesari, Al Wafd news, and Dimpe News, have also circulated the same image with a similar claim on their respective websites.
However, upon examining the image of Khamenei’s body, a rescue worker is observed standing directly atop the debris over Khamenei’s purported body, which is an unusual occurrence in genuine rescue or recovery operations that typically proceed with caution to recover both the injured and the deceased.
A forensic evaluation of the image utilising AI-detection technologies further revealed that several tools, including Undetectable.ai, AI or Not, Sightengine, Hive Moderation, and Truth Scan, identified it as AI-generated.
A thorough analysis of the image through Google Gemini’s SynthID suggested that a significant portion of the image had been altered or created using Google’s AI technologies.
Read more: Who was Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? The man who redefined Iran’s politics
