Key points
- AI-generated Trump video falsely warns Pakistan on conflict
- Viral clip shows unnatural voice, distorted facial features
- Netanyahu video misrepresents 2011 comments on Pakistan
- No credible sources confirm threats from Trump or Netanyahu
ISLAMABAD: Posts on various social media platforms since Sunday have circulated a video allegedly showing United States President Donald Trump urging Pakistan to stay out of the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. However, fact-checking has confirmed the video is AI-generated, and Trump made no such statement.
The clip went viral, amassing over 620,000 views on X and millions more across TikTok. In the video, Trump appears to reference statements by Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and suggests Pakistan should avoid getting involved in the Israel-Iran tensions.
Yet, a close examination of the footage revealed numerous signs of AI manipulation — including unnatural blinking, distorted facial expressions, and robotic voice modulation. The word “region” was spoken awkwardly, further raising doubts about the video’s authenticity.
AI detection tools
AI detection tools supported these suspicions: Hive Moderation flagged a 98.2% chance of AI generation, while Attestive.ai gave only a 7% likelihood. Deepware found no deepfake elements. A reverse image search traced the footage back to Trump’s May 30 Oval Office address — predating the Israel-Iran conflict that began on June 13.
Since then, Trump has made no public remarks from the White House. Additionally, no credible US media outlets have reported such comments.
In a separate incident, a clip of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared online claiming he threatened both Iran and Pakistan regarding nuclear weapons.
Outdated video
This video, too, was misleading. The footage is from a 2011 interview on Channel 2 Israel, where Netanyahu spoke about the danger of nuclear weapons falling into the hands of radical regimes.
His mention of Pakistan was conditional — referring specifically to a potential non-state actors’ takeover, not the state itself. This crucial context was removed in the viral edit, altering the meaning.
Fact-checkers concluded that both viral videos falsely claim to show Trump and Netanyahu issuing warnings or threats to Pakistan amid the current conflict. One was AI-generated, the other was misrepresented and outdated.
These manipulated videos have gained traction online due to the heightened public interest in Middle Eastern tensions, but they are not based on factual or recent statements.
