Explosions have rocked a number of Lebanese regions over the past two days, resulting in a large number of deaths and injuries as a result of pager wireless communication devices explosions that targeted thousands of Hezbollah members.
The large influx of photos and videos of the explosions was accompanied by many misleading and fake photos on social media accounts.
The most widely circulated photo on social media, which Israeli accounts deliberately published, was of an iPhone exploding, which they claimed was in Lebanon. After searching and verifying, it was found that the photo dates back to March 2021, when an iPhone exploded while being plugged into electricity to charge it in the Maadi area of Egypt.
Among the photos that were promoted by some accounts on social media, was a photo of an exploding toilet, which they claimed was taken in Lebanon as a result of the recent wave of bombings. Upon searching for the origin of the photo, it was found that it dates back to January 2020, when a bomb exploded in a public toilet in George V Memorial Park in Hong Kong.
🚨 Breaking: Initial reports of toilets exploding in Lebanon. Hezbollah has asked its members to avoid using toilets until further notice. pic.twitter.com/cFVSOAo0Jr
— Dr. Eli David (@DrEliDavid) September 18, 2024
Artificial intelligence images had a share in the claims that were promoted on social media, as an Israeli account published an image that it claimed was of explosions in Beirut amidst panic among citizens who it claimed were from Hezbollah. Upon examining the details of the image, it became clear that it was generated by artificial intelligence, and this is evident in the faces of the featureless characters and the shape of the buildings and outlets that appear to be melted in an unrealistic way, as well as the distorted Lebanese flag in the image.
*Beirut goes up in flames*
Hizballah operatives on the rant after the pager was activated.. pic.twitter.com/qrrHUsa9b1— what’s new What’s new❓ (@Gloz111) September 17, 2024
Al Jazeera’s Sanad Agency examined the image using one of the techniques used to detect images generated by artificial intelligence, and the results showed that the image was likely created by artificial intelligence by 99.8%.
iPhones, Dell computers, fingerprint devices, American walkie talkies, and anything with lithium batteries exploded! All over Lebanon to protect Israel!!
Boycott American electronic products in particular! They are all spying on you and ready to mine you! pic.twitter.com/H1jlldXx0t
— Dr. Essam Al-Saleh (@Q8demo) September 18, 2024
Some activists also claimed that the explosions targeted the employees’ fingerprint machine, and they circulated a photo showing the damage it sustained. After searching, it was not found to be old, but upon examining the traces of the explosion, it is likely that the damage was caused by the explosion of a wireless device placed on the upper right side of the machine’s box, as the explosion appears to have been external and not from the machine itself.
Attendance devices explosion
iPhones are also available in Lebanon. pic.twitter.com/ijbvaUbZlU— Wael Abbas 𓏲𓂝𓇋𓃭 𓄜𓃀𓂝𓊃 Wael Abbas (@waelabbas) September 18, 2024
Accounts on the X platform also circulated photos that they said showed a laptop exploding as a result of a hack in Lebanon. Upon searching for the origin of the photo, it was found that it dates back to 2010, and was posted by an account on the Eve’s World forum on the Internet, talking about the computer burning after being left on the charger for a long time.
The claims that accompanied the wave of explosions in Lebanon also varied, including the claim that solar energy systems exploded in a number of homes in Lebanon, and media outlets published a photo of solar panels exploding on top of a house. Upon examination, it was found that the photo dates back to an incident in September 2022 in which solar panels caused a fire in a building in the town of Aramoun in Lebanon.
