False claims that US forces struck the mausoleum of the former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez during its military operation in Caracas have spread widely online, and have even been shared by Colombian president Gustavo Petro.

The tomb is housed inside a military base and museum called the Cuartel de la Montaña 4F. False images showing the tomb semi-destroyed in a bomb attack on Saturday with flames and plumes of smoke coming from it have been shared widely, with one post gathering almost 10 million views on X.

One image claiming to show the tomb actually shows the aftermath of a real US strike on the nearby Cagigal Observatory. The observatory is reportedly used by the General Command of the Bolivarian Militia branch of the Venezuelan military.

We’ve also seen a viral image claiming to show extensive damage to the mausoleum but this appears to be an an AI-manipulated version of a real picture of the building published in 2013.

The angle of the two pictures are identical and so are features of all of the buildings in the foreground, despite the fake image claiming to have been taken more than a decade later.

Plus, the Hugo Chavez Foundation posted its own videos on Monday to show people the tomb was intact and called on people in Venezuela not to spread speculation.The videos displayed Monday’s date on a phone before zooming in on the Cuartel de la Montaña 4F to show there was no visible damage to the building.

We’re monitoring the situation in Venezuela and...