WAS A US B-2 BOMBER REALLY SHOT DOWN IN IRAN?
Following the US airstrike on nuclear facilities in Tehran, an image allegedly showing the wreckage of a downed US B-2 bomber on Iranian territory is gaining significant attention on social media.
The image of the wreckage of a downed US B-2 bomber on Iranian territory is circulating on social media.
Amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, on June 22, the US military launched airstrikes targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities – Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan – using B-2 stealth bombers.
US President Donald Trump later declared that the attack caused “tremendous damage” and “wiped out” these nuclear facilities.
However, while the conflict remains unresolved, a photograph allegedly showing the wreckage of a US B-2 on Iranian territory has unexpectedly gone viral on social media.
Many users claimed the plane didn't manage to leave Iran and was shot down, while others asserted it was shot down by Iranian air defenses.
A post by account X included an image of the wreckage of the B-2 with the caption "Breaking News: Iran Shoots Down US B-2 Bomber"
The fact-checking website Newschecker subsequently verified the image and confirmed it was not real but a product of artificial intelligence (AI).
According to Newschecker, after searching for related keywords such as "US B-2 bomber" and "Iran" on Google, there were no credible reports from media or government agencies confirming a US B-2 bomber being shot down in Iran.
Conversely, many news reports from reputable sources published images of B-2 bombers returning safely to Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri (USA) after completing their missions.
Even the White House's official X account shared a video showing B-2 bombers landing safely at Whiteman Air Force Base.
The White House's X account shared a video showing B-2 bombers landing safely at the base -
Upon closer analysis of the circulating image, experts noticed several anomalies: one person standing next to the wreckage had their body blended into the background, while many other faces appeared blurry or out of focus – a characteristic often seen in AI-generated images.
Anomalies in the image: the person standing next to the wreckage has their body blended into the background (circled in blue), many people have blurry white faces (circled in red).
The image was then subjected to several AI-generated image detection tools, such as Sightengine, IsItAI, and WasItAI. All concluded with over 99% confidence that this was an AI-generated image.
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Specifically, the Sightengine platform suggests there is a 99% chance the image is a product of artificial intelligence, while IsItAI also concludes with high confidence that the image is not real.
In parallel, the WasItAI platform stated: "We are almost certain this image – or a large part of it – was created by AI."
