Hundreds of videos featuring Iranian women in military gear have been circulating on social media. The clips begin with women saying, “Habibi, come to Iran,” in what appears to be a warlike setting.
These videos follow highly coordinated scripts and are likely AI-generated, the BBC has found.
Multiple such clips have been posted since the US and Israel's latest war on Iran began last month. Some of them have been viewed millions of times on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
BBC fact-checkers examining the accounts posting the videos found several patterns:
- Most accounts were created within the last month.
- Usernames, profile pictures, and captions are often nearly identical, frequently using protest-related hashtags.
- The content is largely pro-Iranian.
- Videos were primarily in English, suggesting they target an international audience.
There are also inconsistencies with reality.
Women in Iran are not permitted to serve in military combat roles; compulsory service only applies to men. Iran's mandatory hijab law, in place since the 1979 revolution, requires all women to cover their hair and bodies in public.
The trend was first spotted on TikTok before spreading to other platforms. In response, TikTok removed 52 accounts for violating rules against spam, fake engagement, and AI-generated content.
The company, though, said that the accounts did not appear to be part of a covert influence operation and suggested some users were simply capitalising on a viral trend to generate views and income.
Earlier, a widely circulated video purportedly showing Iranian missiles hitting Tel Aviv was confirmed to be AI-generated by three independent digital forensics experts, Reuters reported.
The clip, shared after joint US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, showed missiles raining on a cityscape with people shouting and Israeli flags.
Experts found the skyline and buildings did not match Tel Aviv. They found morphing cars, distorted objects, and robotic-sounding audio, all indicating artificial creation.
Platforms like X temporarily suspended accounts posting unlabelled AI war content.
