What happened

Online creators took to X and other platforms to take advantage of the US-Israel conflict with Iran by flooding them with fake AI-generated videos and images of fake airstrikes on Tel Aviv and the sinking of the USS Abraham Lincoln, and satellite imagery of destroyed military bases.

As a result, millions of users, including UN officials and journalists, shared fake content purporting to show mass civilian casualties and military strikes, thereby complicating emergency response and humanitarian assessments.

The volume of fakes led the public to dismiss authentic footage of real casualties as "AI-generated," a phenomenon known as the "liar's dividend.

Why it happened

The incident was driven by "monetization gamers": individual creators and coordinated groups (notably a network in Pakistan managing dozens of hacked accounts) who leveraged the "fog of war" to generate millions of views. 

By spreading sensational, AI-fabricated content, these users successfully tapped into platform revenue-sharing programs, turning disinformation into a profitable enterprise.