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By Lea Marchl, Isis Blachez, and Sofia Rubinson
What’s happening: As the U.S. and Israel’s massive military attack on Iran enters its third day, social media users are sharing images and videos that misrepresent Iran’s counter-attacks, portraying the country as more powerful and menacing than verified evidence indicates.
The images and videos have collectively garnered more than 21.9 million views on the social media platform X, NewsGuard determined.
Context: On Feb. 28, the U.S. and Israel launched coordinated strikes on Iran with the objective of “eliminating imminent threats from the Iranian regime,” according to President Donald Trump. The operation followed weeks of escalating tensions amid U.S.-Iranian negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program. The strikes killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and other high-ranking Iranian officials, prompting Iran to launch drone and missile attacks against Israel- and U.S.-linked targets across the region.
A closer look: Against this backdrop, pro-Iran social media users circulated misrepresented media that exaggerated Iran’s military strength and ability to mount a counter-offensive. In addition to blatantly false claims...
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