A man from Pakistan allegedly operated a network of hacked social media accounts to circulate artificial intelligence-generated videos related to the ongoing conflict involving the United States, Israel and Iran, according to officials from the social media platform X. The revelation was made by Nikita Bier, head of product at X (formerly Twitter), who said the individual controlled as many as 31 compromised accounts to post fabricated war footage online. The accounts reportedly changed their usernames on February 27 to variations of “Iran War Monitor” and began sharing AI-generated videos depicting scenes from the escalating regional conflict.

According to Bier, the accounts were not genuine and had been hacked before being repurposed to distribute misleading content. The platform’s security teams detected the activity and took action to dismantle the coordinated network. He added that the company has been improving its ability to quickly identify such operations and remove incentives that encourage the spread of misleading material. 

The incident highlights how misinformation campaigns can intensify during periods of geopolitical tension. Since clashes involving the United States, Israel and Iran escalated, social media platforms have been flooded with images and videos claiming to show military strikes and destruction across the region. Many of these posts have later been identified as recycled footage or content generated using artificial intelligence.

Experts warn that modern generative AI tools have made it easier to produce realistic-looking fake content, complicating efforts by journalists, analysts and the public to verify information during wartime. Researchers and fact-checkers have already debunked several viral videos and images that falsely claimed to show attacks or damage in the Middle East. 

In response to the growing challenge, X announced stricter measures against accounts posting AI-generated war footage without clear disclosure. Users who repeatedly share such content may face suspension from the platform’s creator revenue-sharing programme or other penalties. The episode underscores the rising role of artificial intelligence in online disinformation campaigns, especially during major geopolitical crises, and the difficulties social media companies face in maintaining reliable information ecosystems.