What happened: Iranian state media and pro-Iran sources are spreading false and unsubstantiated claims about Israeli losses following the country’s June 13, 2025, offensive against Tehran, in a bid to portray the attack as a failure.
Context: On June 13, Israel launched an extensive strike against Iranian nuclear and military sites, killing senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commanders and scientists and crippling air defenses in a bid to degrade or destroy Iran’s nuclear weapon efforts, according to The Associated Press and other media outlets.
A closer look: By June 16, NewsGuard identified 10 false Iranian narratives about the strikes, many of which appeared within hours of the Israeli offensive and were amplified by state media and pro-Iran and military-linked Telegram channels. Among them:
Fake jet takedown: Most prominently, Iranian state media outlets including PressTV (Trust Score: 7.5/100) and the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency (Trust Score 7.5/100) claimed that Iran shot down two Israeli F-35 jets and captured a female Israeli pilot.
As supposed evidence, Iranian state media displayed a photo purporting to show a downed F-35 jet and an image of “Sarah Ahronot,” the supposed captured pilot. The image was also widely shared by Russian and Chinese state media.
Actually: There is no evidence that Iran shot down any Israeli F-35 jets. Col. Avichay Adraee, a spokesman for the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), told news outlets, “This...
Loudoun County Sheriff Mike Chapman on Tuesday accused a Democratic county supervisor of making “false” claims about deputies helping federal immigration authorities round up illegal immigrants. “...