NewsGuard: 62 Sites Spread Fake News About Israel-Iran War

At least 62 websites have spread at least 22 fake news stories and photos on social media during the days of the conflict between Israel and Iran, according to NewsGuard, a platform that monitors online disinformation. The 'fake news' include images generated by artificial intelligence that allegedly show scenes of mass destruction in Tel Aviv, as well as false news about the alleged capture of Israeli pilots and other Israeli military personnel by Iranian forces.

“Within hours of Israel’s June 13, 2025, strikes against Tehran’s nuclear sites and military leadership, several Iranian state-controlled or state-affiliated media outlets began spreading false claims, attempting to paint the Israeli strike as a failure and the Iranian response as a success,” NewsGuard said. “Sources spreading this false information include Telegram channels linked to the Iranian military, as well as official Iranian media outlets under the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, an Iranian state-owned company sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department.”

Among the “fake news spread,” NewsGuard points out, are the downing of an Israeli F-35 fighter jet and the capture of the pilot; the killing of Israeli Navy Commander David Saar Salama in an Iranian airstrike on June 13; and the flight of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Greece.