Photos of bombings in Lebanon? These are AI-generated images

For several weeks, Israeli bombings have continued as part of the clashes between the IDF and Hezbollah. Since yesterday, two very realistic-looking images showing planes with an explosion in the capital Beirut have been particularly relayed on social networks.

The first shows a plane in flight, with what looks like an airport runway in the background, while the second shows a plane on the ground, in a setting that resembles the architecture of a airport. The two images show a nocturnal setting, against which a large explosion stands out.

These images have been shared in several languages, and in particular by French-speaking Internet users, suggesting that these are photographs taken yesterday evening near the Rafic Hariri international airport in Beirut.

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These images are not authentic, but have been generated by artificial intelligence (AI), and possibly retouched. On each of them, and despite their very realistic appearance, we can notice several elements which allow us to conclude that an AI is working.

In the image showing an airplane in flight, the left wing of the aircraft is not completely visible. The landing gear also has a questionable appearance, not seeming to be fully connected to the aircraft. We also notice a rectangle which blurs part of the front of the device, which suggests manual retouching. The windows of the building in the foreground also look jagged and unrealistic. The same defect can be seen in the second image, at the level of the aircraft windows. The left wing of this plane is also not visible, although this should normally be the case given the angle of the alleged shot.

Despite everything, these images benefit from a fairly significant amount of realism, and it is not easy, at first glance, to detect their artificial nature. The fact that many people shared them, possibly in good faith, illustrates the rapid progress made by image generation tools using artificial intelligence.

A final element confirms the thesis of the inauthenticity of these images: if we go back to their source, and as a BBC journalist noted on X, it is explicitly indicated that they are generated by AI. The Instagram account “eyesoflebanon”, for example, posted them yesterday, specifying that they were “images generated using AI and representing the real situation”, and attributing their origin to another account Instagram. The images are not available on the latter, but we can read this Monday in a message posted in story “The previous message was deleted because not everyone read the caption. These photos are generated by AI and illustrate the real situation that happened this evening.”

Strikes actually hit the area around Beirut airport

Although these images were generated by artificial intelligence, Israeli bombings likely fell near the airport. This is what a Lebanese security source reported, cited in several French media such as here France 24, but also the AFP, which published images of “clouds of smoke” “after Israeli strikes near the Beirut airport.

The Lebanese government news agency National News Agency claims that “the “Al-Qard al-Hassan” agency was bombed near the Rafic Hariri international airport” (here in Arabic). This financial institution has been targeted in several Lebanese cities, because it is considered to be linked to Hezbollah.

It is also true that a plane landed shortly after one of the explosions, as the BBC reports, with supporting video, indicating that “a flight from Dubai, which was due to land at 11:59 p.m., was arrived 17 minutes late. »