Lead Stories - War

Fact Check: FAKE Photo Shows Iranian World Cup Player Displaying Symbolic School Backpack

2026-06-16T20:17:04Z

Does a real photo show an Iranian player displaying a symbolic school backpack at the World Cup? No, that's not true: An AI detection tool determined that the image was 99.8% "likely to be AI-generated." There are no credible reports that an Iranian player held up the backpack. The symbol previously has been exhibited in honor of schoolgirls killed when a bomb struck Shajareh Tayyebeh Elementary School in Minab, Iran, on Feb. 28, 2026, as the United States and Israel launched military operations against Iran.

The claim appeared in a post and image (archived here) by the @xagreat account on X on June 15, 2026. It read:

Paying Tribute to the 168 school girls murdered by Donald Trump

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @xagreat on X.com.)

An Amnesty International blog (archived here) published on March 23, 2026, blamed the United States for the school strike, although Washington has not taken responsibility for the incident. The organization said the attack killed "168 people, including more than 100 children." Some reports have conflated the total number of people killed with the number of children killed, which is lower.

AI detection

The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection tool concluded that the image was 99.8% "likely to be AI-generated":

(Image source: Hive Moderation.)

A reverse image search (archived here) on Google Images found dozens of "exact matches" on social media, but none before mid-June 2026.

AI indicators

A close look at the image reveals signs that it was generated using AI:

The hands and grip look unnatural. The fingers, thumb and the way the player holds the backpack strap appear physically unrealistic.
The people and objects lack texture and depth. The backpack's flower designs, zipper and fabric are too smooth, and the crowd in the background looks like blurry, repeated shapes rather than real people.
The lighting and skin do not look natural. The player's face, hair and jersey have an overly polished appearance that doesn't match a real stadium setting.
The background text is garbled. The Persian/Arabic writing on the stadium advertising boards is distorted and unreadable -- a telltale sign of AI generation.

News reports

Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and did not find any matching reports from credible news outlets containing the words "Iran," "World Cup" and "backpack." World Cup rules prohibit teams and players from making political statements (archived here) on the field.

Months before the World Cup that started in June 2026, Iranian players honored victims of the strike on the elementary school by holding purple and pink backpacks (archived here) before a match played in Turkey against Nigeria on March 27, 2026:

(Image source: AP Photo/Riza Ozel.)

Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show US Destroying Iranian Fighter Jet In 'Combat Action' Over Strait of Hormuz

2026-06-15T21:07:15Z

Does a video really show footage of the U.S. striking an Iranian fighter jet in "combat action" over the Strait of Hormuz? No, that's not true: The video was posted by a self-described parody account on social media. It also appears the footage shows Russian aircraft and was clipped from a video game.

The claim was made in a post by @Americanforce0 published on June 14, 2026 (archived here). It included a video with a caption that read:

#BREAKING: High-stakes drama in the Strait of Hormuz! An Iranian fighter jet intercepting too close was completely obliterated by US Forces in a swift air combat action. Tehran is reportedly in absolute chaos after losing their bird. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. 🇺🇸💥 #StraitOfHormuz #USNavy #AirForce #MilitaryNews #Geopolitics

This is a still from the video included in the post:

(Image source: Post by @Americanforce0 on X.)

The account's page on X (archived here) is labeled as a "Parody account." It reads:

𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍 𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐂𝐄 ⚔️🇺🇸
@Americanforce0
Parody account

US Central Command Unit | Strength, Honor, and Discipline.🎖️
⚡ Monitoring Global Defense & Tactical Aesthetics Independent Archive
Not affiliated with the DoD

A screenshot of the account's page is included below:

(Image source: @Americanforce0 on X.)

Google Image searches of two screenshots from the video found no U.S. aircraft in the frame. One screenshot showed the bottom of the supposed U.S. plane (archived here), while the other screenshot showed the profile of the supposed U.S. plane as it flew on its side (archived here). Both searches showed that the plane depicted in the video resembled aircraft manufactured by the Russian aircraft manufacturer Sukhoi (archived here). While the plane in the video looks similar to actual fighter jets like Sukhoi's Su-57 (archived here), video game users have created similar camouflage exteriors, such as this user-created Sukhoi Su-33 camouflage (archived here). Additionally, the action in the video looks like gameplay, with some of the telltale signs of video game footage, such as an extremely focused, quick camera perspective and bright lights and sounds clearly accompanying each movement.

A Google News search of "US and Iran fighter jets over Strait of Hormuz footage," with results limited to the past week, did not produce results matching the video (archived here).

Fact Check: FAKE Video Does NOT Show Moment Iran Shot Down U.S. Apache Helicopter In Persian Gulf -- It Is AI-Generated

2026-06-12T18:12:28Z

Does a real video show the moment Iran shot down a U.S. Apache helicopter in the Persian Gulf in early June 2026? No, that's not true: The clip was created using artificial intelligence, and an AI detection tool determined it was 100% "likely to be AI-generated." There are no credible reports that the helicopter was brought down by a shoulder-fired rocket launcher -- it was struck by an Iranian Shahed drone.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @Lassegaf_1 account on X on June 10, 2026. It read:

BREAKING NEWS:🚨🇮🇷
Iran used a weapon worth one hundred and fifty dollars to shoot down a billion-dollar American military aircraft.

For the first time, America had met its true adversary.🚀🔥🇺🇸

This is what a screenshot of the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @Lassegaf_1 on X.)

The video is embedded below:

BREAKING NEWS:🚨🇮🇷
Iran used a weapon worth one hundred and fifty dollars to shoot down a billion-dollar American military aircraft.

For the first time, America had met its true adversary.🚀🔥🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/MXL7PKvIbx
-- Mr. Hass 💛 (@Lassegaf_1) June 10, 2026

AI detection

The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection tool concluded that the video was 100% "likely to be AI-generated":

(Image source: Hive Moderation.)

AI indicators

A close look at the clip reveals signs that it was generated using AI:

The alleged members of the Iranian military in the video have American flags on their uniforms, not ones from the Islamic Republic.
A person standing directly behind a shoulder-fired rocket launcher, as shown in the video, would be at serious risk of injury. The weapon's backblast produces superheated gases, flames, and debris that can cause severe burns and other serious injuries.
The missile's trajectory is unnatural. After launch, it curves in a way that is not realistic. Real missiles cannot make such smooth, sudden changes in direction while maintaining their speed and momentum.
The helicopter's flight, explosion, and crash defy physics. The lighting and shadows do not match the surrounding environment, with the sun shining from the right side of the scene. The smoke from the explosion appears only in black. Real explosions typically show a range of gray tones and often visible flames in the initial moments.

News reports

Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and found no reports matching the claim that a U.S. Apache helicopter was shot down in the Persian Gulf by a shoulder-fired rocket launcher. However, numerous reports confirmed Iran had downed the aircraft -- though not in the manner depicted in the fake video. CBS News reported (archived here) that an armed Iranian Shahed drone struck the Apache helicopter near the Strait of Hormuz on June 8, 2026.

Fact Check: Video Of Burning Fuel Tank Rolling Away After Explosion Is NOT From Iran -- It Shows A 2024 Gas Station Explosion In Chechnya

2026-06-11T17:31:30Z

Does a video featuring a burning fuel tank rolling away after an explosion show an event in Iran in June 2026? No, that's not true: The footage shows an explosion at a gas station in Chechnya, a republic within the Russian Federation, in October 2024, not Iran. The clip also appeared on a social media account labeled as a parody.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @IsraelArmyX account on X on June 11, 2026. It read:

🚨 Breaking News :

US ATTACKS IRAN

According to sources, massive explosions have rocked Iranian military bases following US airstrikes. Reports indicate that IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] facilities have sustained heavy damage, and over 100 soldiers have been injured. Iran's security infrastructure is crumbling.

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @IsraelArmyX on X.)

The video is embedded below:

🚨 Breaking News :

US ATTACKS IRAN

According to sources, massive explosions have rocked Iranian military bases following US airstrikes. Reports indicate that IRGC facilities have sustained heavy damage, and over 100 soldiers have been injured. Iran's security infrastructure is... pic.twitter.com/D0wQBHv9Sl
-- Israel Army (@IsraelArmyX) June 11, 2026

The @IsraelArmyX account (archived here) is not affiliated with the Israeli army or the Israel Defense Forces. It is labeled as a "Parody account." This is what a screenshot of the account's profile page looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @IsraelArmyX on X.)

The clip first appeared in news reports (archived here) from October 2024. The scene from Grozny shown in the post on X appears about 11 seconds into this AlJazeera English YouTube video (archived here) from Oct. 12, 2024, which is embedded below:

(Image source: YouTube account of @aljazeeraenglish.)

Fact Check: Photo Does NOT Show Man From Gaza Buried In Concrete By Israeli Soldiers

2026-06-09T21:09:34Z

Does a photo show a man from Gaza buried in concrete by Israeli soldiers? No, that's not true: Social media posts using this same picture first claimed in May 2026 it was linked to a murder in Brazil by a criminal gang. Lead Stories found no credible news reports or other reliable evidence confirming that Israeli soldiers did this to a man from Gaza.

The claim appeared in a post and image that is no longer available (but is archived here) by the @hippyygoat account on X on June 8, 2026. It read:

Why is this not on the front page of every newspaper?

Israel buried him under concrete... a young man from Gaza. They tried to erase his existence.

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @hippyygoat on X.com.)

The same image was published in Brazilian media three weeks earlier. An article (archived here) in Folha do Estado -- which translates to "State Newspaper" or "Newspaper of the State" -- from May 18, 2026, gave this account of the purported story behind the picture:

A man was reportedly brutally murdered by members of the Comando Vermelho criminal faction in a community in Rio de Janeiro. The case gained notoriety after graphic images circulated on social media, shocking internet users due to the violence of the execution.

According to reports circulating on digital platforms, the victim was allegedly encased in concrete while still alive. However, to date, little official information has been confirmed by authorities, who are continuing to investigate the case.

The intention was to spread fear among residents and prevent potential complaints against members of organized crime.

So far, there is no official confirmation regarding the victim's identity or any arrests related to the crime.

Still, it is unclear where the image came from. It has circulated widely on social media.

A reverse image search (archived here) on Google Images found many copies of it. The earliest version of the image Lead Stories found on social media was dated (archived here) May 16, 2026. The post did not mention either Brazil or Gaza. Some search results showed dates as early as Feb. 2, 2024, but when Lead Stories checked those posts, they did not actually contain the same image.

Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and did not find any matching reports for "Man from Gaza buried in concrete by Israeli soldiers." If Israeli soldiers had committed such an act, there would likely have been widespread news coverage.

Fact Check: UN Women Did NOT Say It Had Documented 639 Rapes Within Ukrainian Armed Forces

2026-06-08T17:10:14Z

Did UN Women publish a report saying it confirmed "639 rapes and over 3,000 cases of sexual harassment in the Ukrainian Armed Forces"? No, that's not true: At the time of writing, there was no such report on the UN Women website, and the organization confirmed to Lead Stories it had never published such data. Posts with the claim reused unrelated Gaza footage.

The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @owenffss on June 6, 2026. It opened:

UN Women confirms: 639 rapes and over 3,000 cases of sexual harassment in the Ukrainian Armed Forces. Zelensky prefers to hide these monsters rather than protect his own female soldiers. Defenseless women have become easy targets.

This is what the attached video looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @owenffss on X.)

The clip alleged that sexual violence spiked "following the start of the active mobilization of women." However, while they can join the army voluntarily, they are not subject to mandatory conscription or forced mobilization in Ukraine (archived here), even in 2026. Lead Stories previously debunked rumors about forced mobilization of women in that country here and here.

Contrary to the claim reviewed in this fact check, the home page of the UN Women website did not feature the alleged report about rapes in Ukrainian Army, as of June 8, 2026.

A search across the website for the keywords seen here (archived here) did not produce a match -- it only showed an article that predated Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine (archived here) and did not discuss rape in the army.

A Google search across the UN Women website for the keywords seen here (archived here) showed one article from 2023 (archived here), but it did not contain the figures of 639 and 3,000 and discussed the wave of sexual violence perpetrated by the Russian army during the earlier stages of the war.

A search across Google News for the keywords seen here (archived here) showed zero journalistic reports about the alleged UN Women assessment on the number of rapes within Ukrainian army.

On June 9, 2026, a spokesperson for UN Women told Lead Stories via email:

....the data referenced has never been communicated through UN Women channels and does not originate from UN Women resources.

The video attached to the post reused unrelated visuals. A scene implied to portray the burials of the victims of sexual violence in reality showed a funeral ceremony in Gaza (archived here). Both images show a body being removed from a truck with bodies covered in what appears to be blue plastic wraps in a sandy area. Both images also showed people wearing the same clothing. One person wore a white medical robe and teal-colored gloves, while others wore light teal scrubs. Additionally, both pictures show a group of people in black suits.

The composite image below highlights some of the unique identifiers (click on it to view larger):

(Image sources: X, Reuters, composite image by Lead Stories).

The video recording of the same Gaza funeral appeared in a real UN video (archived here) published on YouTube on April 30, 2026, but the footage had nothing to do with Ukraine. The UN video's caption read:

UN Investigative Bodies: The Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory & Israel.

In part, the video discussed a UN report concerning sexual violence in that conflict (archived here), not in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Furthermore, the video from the viral post examined in this article reused another shot from the same UN real recording that appears at the 02:34 mark:

(Image sources: X, YouTube, composite image by Lead Stories.)

That shot showed the members of the Commission (archived here) tasked with the inquiry into the situation surrounding the conflict in Gaza, not Ukraine.

Fact Check: Video Does NOT Show Iranian Missile Strike On Israeli Or U.S. Assets -- It Shows Malta Fireworks Factory Explosion

2026-06-08T15:43:30Z

Does a video show an Iranian missile strike on Israeli or U.S. assets in early June 2026? No, that's not true: The explosion shown in the video occurred at a fireworks factory in Malta. The powerful blast injured two people at the Ta' Lourdes fireworks factory on June 1, 2026.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @TheDailyCPEC account on X on June 7, 2026. It read:

🚨 BREAKING: Iran Fires Fresh Wave of Missiles, Declares U.S. and Israeli Assets "Legitimate Targets."

This is a screenshot of the post on X, as it appeared at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @TheDailyCPEC on X.)

The video from the post is embedded below:

🚨 BREAKING: Iran Fires Fresh Wave of Missiles, Declares U.S. and Israeli Assets "Legitimate Targets." pic.twitter.com/LJQX7C2Bkw
-- The Daily CPEC (@TheDailyCPEC) June 8, 2026

The clip in the post on X does not show an attack on Israeli or U.S. assets. Instead, it shows an explosion at a fireworks factory in Malta.

This video (archived here), published by CNN on YouTube on June 1, 2026, shows the same blast from the same perspective. The video is embedded below:

Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) for the words "Malta fireworks factory explosion," and found that the incident was widely reported by major news outlets around the world.

Fact Check: UNVERIFIED Claim About Waiting List For Superyachts And Ukrainian Officials Comes From Single, Unnamed Source

2026-05-29T23:46:33Z

Does a viral post on social media offer any verifiable information confirming that a four-year waiting list for superyacht purchases is entirely made up of Ukrainian officials? No, that's not true: No posts making such a claim included any specific, verifiable data. The man who was the first to spread the rumor refused to disclose the name of the shipbuilder who supposedly told him about Ukrainian officials on the waitlist.

The claim appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @Pascal_Laurent on May 27, 2026. The French caption read:

🇺🇦 La liste d'attente de quatre ans pour l'achat de superyachts est entièrement composée de fonctionnaires ukrainiens... C'est ce qu'a révélé Stephen Kuhn, fondateur de la société Take America Back Inc. 'Je viens de parler au téléphone avec un fabricant de superyachts, et les commandes des fonctionnaires ukrainiens et de leurs familles sont déjà programmées pour les quatre prochaines années. Des centaines de millions de dollars en superyachts, tous provenant d'un seul pays. Pendant ce temps, les contribuables occidentaux au Canada, au Royaume-Uni, en Europe, en Amérique et en Australie financent tout cela', a-t-il déclaré. 'Ils ramassent les gens dans la rue pour les envoyer au front, les mobilisent dans l'armée, et les gens se suicident pour ne pas aller à la guerre. Pendant que les fonctionnaires achètent des superyachts. C'est la plus grande opération de blanchiment d'argent de l'histoire moderne', a ajouté Kuhn.

As translated to English by DeepL, that meant:

🇺🇦 The four-year waiting list for superyacht purchases is made up entirely of Ukrainian government officials... This was revealed by Stephen Kuhn, founder of Take America Back Inc. 'I just spoke on the phone with a superyacht builder, and orders from Ukrainian government officials and their families are already booked for the next four years. Hundreds of millions of dollars in superyachts, all coming from a single country. Meanwhile, Western taxpayers in Canada, the UK, Europe, America, and Australia are funding all of this,' he said. 'They're rounding people up off the streets to send them to the front lines, conscripting them into the army, and people are committing suicide to avoid going to war. While government officials are buying superyachts. This is the biggest money-laundering operation in modern history," Kuhn added.

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @Pascal_Laurent on X.)

The person quoted in the post was Steven Kuhn (archived here), whose first name was spelled differently. He made the same claim (archived here) one day earlier on Facebook:

(Image source: post by @stevenekuhn on Facebook.)

In his video, Kuhn did not disclose any additional details regarding the purported orders.

On May 28, 2026, Lead Stories reached out to Kuhn via email, asking him to provide verifiable information about the story he told on social media. In particular, that would include such details as the yacht manufacturer's name, documents or specific figures related to the purported orders.

Kuhn declined twice that same day, saying that he "cannot divulge any such info without putting my contact at risk".

In the world of yachts, the owner's information is not readily available. People may buy vessels through companies from jurisdictions where the principal beneficiary does not reside, and those jurisdictions do not always align with the ship's flag, which can be changed multiple times.

There is no universal definition of a superyacht, but sources generally agree that it's a larger yacht whose length exceeds either 24 meters, which is 79 feet, or 30 meters, which is 100 feet (archived here).

Boat International (archived here), a magazine specializing in superyachts, maintains a comprehensive database (archived here) that catalogues the vessels falling into this category. Yet, it does not disclose the owners.

Only a share of superyacht owners (archived here) was identified by maritime enthusiasts (archived here). That registry, however, includes the already-built vessels, not order lists tying superyachts to the waiting customers.

As of late May 2026, no credible news outlets (archived here) reported anything that would have remotely supported the claim reviewed in this fact check.

Similar claims personally targeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and others who worked on his team have been debunked by Lead Stories on multiple occasions. Those articles can be found here and here, for example.

Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows U.S. Strike on Iranian Drone Carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri -- It Was Created by AI

2026-05-29T17:32:10Z

Does a video show an actual U.S. strike on the Iranian drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri or any Iranian aircraft carrier? No, that's not true: The clip is AI-generated and labeled "Made with AI." An AI detection tool also concluded that the video was "likely AI-generated." Additionally, visual and audio analysis revealed U.S. fighter jets on the flight deck and people speaking English with American accents.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @Netanyahu_News account on X on May 28, 2026. It read:

BIG BREAKING 🚨

Attack on Iran's drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri

According to the latest reports, the US carried out a deadly attack on Iran's drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri, killing over 100 Iranian soldiers.
This incident has caused a sensation across the world.

This is what a screenshot of the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @Netanyahu_News on X.)

The post and video are embedded below:

BIG BREAKING 🚨

Attack on Iran's drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri

According to the latest reports, the US carried out a deadly attack on Iran's drone carrier IRIS Shahid Bagheri, killing over 100 Iranian soldiers.
This incident has caused a sensation across the world. pic.twitter.com/SJUNKgN3Xb
-- Israel Army (@Netanyahu_News) May 29, 2026

Start of the war with Iran

The United States attacked the IRIS Shahid Bagheri in the early days of the war with Iran that began on Feb. 28, 2026, but this fake social media video does not show that attack. In a March 4, 2026, article, the BBC reported (archived here) that the drone carrier was sunk. Canadian network CTV posted the video (archived here) from U.S. Central Command to YouTube on March 6, 2026:

Made with AI

The post on X by @Netanyahu_News is marked "Made with AI." In the screenshot below, it is circled in red near the bottom:

(Image source: post by @Netanyahu_News on X. Red arrow and oval by Lead Stories.)

AI detection

The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection tool also concluded that the video overall was 56.9% "likely to be AI-generated":

(Image source: Hive Moderation.)

Additional AI indicators

The clip also contains indicators of AI generation. The planes seen on the flight deck look like American fighter jets, not Iranian planes or drones. The clearest example is an F/A-18 in the opening frame with the "star and bar" insignia circled in yellow below. The movements of the people on the flight deck appear inconsistent with usual naval operations:

(Image source: post by @Netanyahu_News on X.)

The audio in the clip also indicates the video is not from an attack on an Iranian vessel. No one is speaking Farsi in the fake clip; everyone is speaking English.

Fact Check: No Evidence Bahamas Barred Trump From Attending Son's Wedding Under Immigration Laws

2026-05-25T19:07:27Z

Was President Donald Trump unable to attend the wedding of his son, Donald Trump Jr., in The Bahamas on May 23, 2026, because the country would not allow him entry under its immigration laws? No, that's not true: There is no evidence The Bahamas barred Trump from entering, and its immigration law does not explicitly prohibit entry for those found civilly liable for sexual offenses. In a Truth Social post, Trump said he remained in Washington, D.C. to focus on Iran negotiations.

The claim appeared in a post and image (archived here) by the @JamesTate121 account on X on May 23, 2026. It read:

Community note for the win.🤣

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @JamesTate121 on X.)

The post on X is a screenshot of a post (archived here) by the kimmieelrod account on Threads on May 22, 2026, which includes a screenshot of a post (archived here) by President Trump on Truth Social also on May 22, 2026. The Threads post read:

This is some cold shit for real.

The president's Truth Social post read:

While I very much wanted to be with my son, Don Jr., and the newest member of the Trump Family, his soon to be wife, Bettina, circumstances pertaining to Government, and my love for the United States of America, do not allow me to do so. I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time. Congratulations to Don and Bettina! President DONALD J. TRUMP

The "Community note" attached to the Threads post read:

Donald Trump is not attending his son's wedding, because the Bahamas [sic] do not allow entry to adjudicated rapists from America.

There is no evidence that The Bahamas barred the American president from attending his son's wedding celebration held in the Caribbean nation. The "Entry Requirements" page (archived here) on The Bahamas Department of Immigration website says U.S. citizens must have a passport but does not list any additional requirements related to "adjudicated rapists" or any such conditions for stays of up to eight months.

A "Special Permit" is required by The Bahamas Immigration for people on a "Restricted List." The website reads:

The Department of Immigration maintains a 'Restricted List,' which contains the names of individuals who must obtain special permission to enter The Bahamas. Typically, this list comprises persons who have been lawfully deported or removed from the country.

Nor is there any evidence that the president has ever been deported or removed from The Bahamas, or was ever on the "Restricted List."

Lead Stories contacted The Bahamas Department of Immigration to ask whether the president was denied entry. There was no immediate response.

Donald Trump Jr. married Bettina Anderson in The Bahamas (archived here) on May 23, 2026.

The president was found liable for sexual abuse and defamation (archived here) against E. Jean Carroll on May 9, 2023, when a federal jury ordered him to pay $5 million in damages. Although under New York law, Trump was found liable for sexual abuse, the judge later clarified (archived here) that Trump did rape her, as "many people commonly understand the word 'rape.'"

In his Truth Social post, the president gave his reason for not being able to attend the event. He said:

I feel it is important for me to remain in Washington, D.C., at the White House during this important period of time.

At the time, the president was involved in negotiations to end the war with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and found multiple reports matching the search terms "Trump negotiations with Iran" from the weekend of May 22, 2026.

Fact Check: Video Of Fox News Guest Robert Harward, Focus Of 'Face Mask' Rumors, Is REAL And Unedited

2026-05-22T17:02:29Z

Is a video of Fox News guest retired Vice Adm. Robert Harward circulating on social media real and taken from the original broadcast? Yes, that's true: Harward, a former deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, appeared on Fox News on May 19, 2026, to provide expert analysis on the war with Iran. The videos and images circulating on social media can be traced back to his original appearance on the network and are unedited.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @BlaireWhite account on X on May 21, 2026. It read:

Holy shit why is this man on Fox News wearing a literal CIA mask

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @BlaireWhite on X.)

Another version of the claim appeared in a post and images (archived here) by the @mddixon87 account on Threads on May 21, 2026. It read:

Fox aired an interview with retired Robert Harward, former Deputy Commander of CENTCOM.

Yup and that does look like a mask. And no this hasn't been AI'd.

This is what the post looked like on Threads at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @mddixon87 on Threads.)

Harward's original appearance on Fox News (archived here) is embedded below:

Social media users have speculated that Harward was wearing some kind of prosthetic mask during the appearance, with some suggesting the footage had been altered or generated by AI. However, the clip is unedited and matches the original broadcast that aired on Fox News, when Harward appeared to offer expert military analysis on the ongoing war with Iran. The area referenced in the speculation is circled in yellow in the image below:

(Image source: post by @BlaireWhite on X.)

Lead Stories reached out to Fox News, Harward, and the Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA), where Harward (archived here) is a national security expert, for comment on the mask speculation. In a May 22, 2026, email, a Fox News spokesperson provided this response:

Vice Admiral Robert Harward appeared on FOX News Channel earlier this week via a remote, mobile camera operated by an outside vendor. During the interview, lighting conditions in the van contrasted with the vice admiral's jacket, which caused a shadow to appear on his neck.

Separately, JINSA Director of Communications Blake Johnson responded in a May 22, 2026, email to Lead Stories. He said:

We appreciate that the Vice Admiral Harward's interview has been a source of some internet levity these past 24 hours, and we've had a good laugh over it, but to burst the bubble, it was not a 'mask.'

His May 19 interview on Fox News was conducted from a mobile studio unit on-air in the 9:00am ET hour. Harward conducted a different interview an hour later on Fox Business in the 10:00am ET hour, using his personal device and without the benefit of professional lighting: Fox Business: Varney & Co Interview.

Admiral Harward is extremely thankful for the outstanding production team at Fox News, they do an amazing job each and every time to make him look his best, whether he's waking up early in Dallas, catching a sunset in San Diego, or burning the midnight oil in Abu Dhabi.

Harward's appearance on Fox Business (archived here) on May 19, 2026, is embedded below:

This is what a screenshot of the post looked like on YouTube at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by JINSA on YouTube.)

Harward did not immediately respond.

Fact Check: FAKE 'After Image' Does NOT Match Actual Destruction For "Gaza in 2023 and 2026" Comparison

2026-05-14T22:18:44Z

Does a real image show how Gaza looks in 2026 compared to how it looked in 2023? No, that's not true: The "before image" really shows the Al Rasheed coastal road in 2022 or 2023 but the "after image" purporting to show 2026 is fake. The modern architecture of the Sheikh Ajlin Mosque's upright minaret tower serves as a landmark visible in the before picture and in the fake after picture. But, satellite imagery as far back as April 2024 shows the mosque almost entirely flattened and the tower fallen in the rubble. This is corroborated by drone footage posted by a Turkish news agency in Nov. 2025.

The fake image appeared in a post (archived here) published on X by @HasanEssam29636 on May 12, 2026. It was captioned:

One of the most terrifying images in history: a transformation from life to death. Gaza in 2023 and 2026!

This is the image included with the post:

(Image source: @HasanEssam29636 post on X.)

This neighborhood was already heavily damaged in airstrikes by April 2024. In 2026, the mosque no longer looks as the fake image depicts it. Visible in the lower right corner of the image above, it is damaged but still recognizable with an almost intact facade and a standing tower.

The fake image has a watermark with a name, "Mohammad ismail shamallk". A Google search for the name did not produce any relevant results. An image search with Google Lens for 'exact matches' only returned duplicate social media posts, but no other site on which the photo is found.

The "before" image has the watermark of freelance press photographer Mustafa Thuraya, whose Instagram bio describes him as "a drone photographer from Gaza", and his name is spelled Thraya (archived here). Reuters reported he was killed by an Israeli airstrike on Jan. 7, 2024 (archived here). Lead Stories has not verified if this image was indeed from Thuraya or what date it was taken. At least two versions of the image exist. Version two, with no watermark (archived here) has small changes to brighten colors, change the clouds, and obscure the advertising on the billboard. The buildings in the two versions of the "before image" remain the same, as do the positions of the vehicles on the street. Similar drone footage was posted on TikTok on April 2, 2023 by the official account of the mosque's architect, Ridwan Kamil (archived here). The caption of the 2023 TikTok post (automatically translated) explains the significance but does not credit a photographer:

The Sheikh Azlin Mosque, which was destroyed in 2014 by an Israeli bombing, is now standing tall. And this is the first Ramadan people in the district to be able to worship with afdal, after 8 years of prayer always use emergency tents. All thanks to donations from institutional donors, individuals and Indonesian netizens raised through @ amanpalestin _ id.

A Nov. 28, 2022 video on YouTube (archived here) is titled, "Reconstruction of Masjid Sheikh Ijlin (Khalil Al-Wazir)". This video has several exterior shots which show the buildings on either side of the mosque, the ornamental lattice of the facade, the tower, and the surrounding neighborhood. The screenshot below is from the 00:15 mark.

(Image source: Aman Palestin video on YouTube.)

The 'Historical Imagery' feature on Google Earth allows a viewer to toggle across a timeline of satellite images of a specific location through the years. Lead Stories used it to examine the location: 31.502630, 34.414586. The comparison images below shows the Sheikh Ajlin mosque on the Al Rasheed coastal road.

The top image is dated "older-10/19/2023".

The lower image is dated "older-4/3/2024."

(Image source: Airbus imagery on Google Earth.)

The Google Earth Help page has an explainer (archived here) regarding why some imagery is marked with a range of dates. The place labeled 'mosque" in the lower image would be unrecognizable if it were not for the minaret tower which has fallen diagonally across the rubble of the building.

A video (archived here) titled, "Sheikh Ajlin neighbourhood in western Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip was left in ruins" was published on YouTube by the Turkish state media outlet, Anadolu Agency, on Nov. 6, 2025. The toppled tower appears at the 00:24 mark. (pictured below).

(Image source: Anadolu English video on YouTube.)

Fact Check: FAKE Video Shows U.S. Warship On Fire After Iranian Attack -- It Did NOT Happen

2026-05-12T22:11:15Z

Does a real video show a U.S. warship on fire after an Iranian attack? No, that's not true: An AI-generated content detection tool rated the video as "likely to be AI-generated." There are also several other signs that the video was likely made with AI or digitally altered, including unnatural-looking fire and smoke, unrealistic water movement, and slight warping or flickering on parts of the ship and the aircraft.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @daddybill1977 account on Threads on May 12, 2026. It read:

This is not Ai [sic].

So much damage has been done to the US Navy, and most of the military bases have been either destroyed or put out of commission permanently. Stop lying to us Pete!

This is what the post looked like on Threads at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @daddybill1977 on Threads.)

The video is embedded below:

View on Threads

AI detection

The Hive Moderation AI-Generated Content Detection tool concluded the video was 84.4% "likely to be AI-generated":

(Image source: Hive Moderation.)

Additional AI indicators

The video shows several signs commonly associated with AI-generated or digitally altered content. The fire and smoke move too smoothly -- almost like animation -- and the water around the ship barely reacts to what should be an intense blaze. Parts of the ship and the aircraft on deck also appear to warp and flicker slightly, a common artifact in AI-generated video.

Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and did not find any matching reports for the words: "U.S. warship on fire after Iran attack." Major news outlets would have widely reported such an attack if it had occurred. In early May 2026, U.S. Central Command (archived here) said Iran had targeted the USS Truxtun, the USS Rafael Peralta, and the USS Mason, but none of the vessels were hit.

Fact Check: OLD Video Of U.S. Ship Hit By Missiles Is From 2016 Target Practice On Retired Frigate -- Not Enemy Action

2026-05-04T16:07:45Z

Does a video show a double missile strike by Iran on a U.S. ship during hostile action in May 2026? No, that's not true: The clip resurfaced in social media posts falsely claiming it showed an Iranian strike near Jask Island, but it actually comes from a 2016 live-fire exercise conducted by the U.S. Navy and its allies in the Pacific Ocean. American, South Korean, and Australian forces used the retired frigate USS Thach for target practice.

The claim appeared in a post and video (archived here) by the @rkmtimes account on X on May 4, 2026. It read:

JUST IN🇮🇷🇺🇸🔥 Iran releases first footage that shows Two Iranian missiles hits multiple U.S. military ship or Frigates near Jask Island.

🚨A first DIRECT STRIKE ON U.S. FORCES.

This is what a screenshot of the video from the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @rkmtimes on X.)

The video is embedded below:

JUST IN🇮🇷🇺🇸🔥 Iran releases first footage that shows Two Iranian missiles hits multiple U.S. military ship or Frigates near Jask Island.

🚨A first DIRECT STRIKE ON U.S. FORCES. pic.twitter.com/gF1hstRV60
-- RKM (@rkmtimes) May 4, 2026

USS Thach

In 2016, the U.S. Navy and allied forces conducted a sinking exercise during the multinational Rim of the Pacific exercises (archived here), using the retired frigate USS Thach as a target. U.S., South Korean, and Australian forces attacked the ship with missiles, bombs, and a torpedo to test modern weapons against a real warship. After absorbing heavy damage, the ship was finally sunk in deep water in the Pacific Ocean.

A longer video (archived here) of the exercise is embedded below:

Fact Check: FAKE Donald Trump Truth Social Post Warns Jimmy Kimmel, Others: 'I Had James Comey Arrested'

2026-05-01T18:57:19Z

Did President Donald Trump warn Jimmy Kimmel and others in a social media post that "I had James Comey arrested"? No, that's not true: The supposed post does not appear on the president's official Truth Social account, and there are no reliable reports that it ever did. While the president has not explicitly threatened to arrest Jimmy Kimmel, he has repeatedly demanded Kimmel's firing and threatened legal action against ABC, labeling Kimmel's jokes as "despicable" and "corrosive."

The claim appeared in an image and post (archived here) by the @glenn_tunes account on X on April 30, 2026. It read:

DEMENTED ASSHOLE 🙄🤡

This is what the post looked like on X at the time of writing:

(Image source: post by @glenn_tunes on X.)

The text included in the fake screenshot read:

I had James Comey arrested. That's the kind of power you have when you're President. Remember that, Jimmy Kimmel, and anyone else who thinks it's funny to take shots at me. Not so funny anymore, right? I've got Todd Blanche working very closely with me, very closely, and he gets things done. Always with a straight face too, which is incredible when you think about it. So consider this your warning. And Iran, same thing. No more Mr. Nice Guy. Open up the Strait, or the gloves come off. Big time. You've all been warned. Have a great day.

Lead Stories manually reviewed Trump's Truth Social account for recent posts containing the phrase "I had James Comey arrested." The team also searched Trump's Truth -- a website that archives Trump's Truth Social posts -- for the same phrase from April 24 to May 1, 2026. No date appears on the fake post. No matching posts were found (archived here).

Lead Stories searched Google News (archived here) and Yahoo! News (archived here) and did not find any matching reports for "I had James Comey arrested." Had the president actually made such a post, major news outlets would have widely reported it.

Trump has repeatedly called for Kimmel to be fired by ABC (archived here) and its parent, The Walt Disney Company, describing the comedian's remarks (archived here) as "despicable," "corrosive," and beyond acceptable limits. He has also criticized broadcasters more broadly and suggested regulatory or legal consequences for networks airing content he deems unfair or harmful. Trump has not explicitly threatened to arrest Kimmel, despite his attacks and calls for his firing.