As with previous years, this year was also important. Fake news, images, and videos have been circulating non-stop and monthly for a year. In addition to the bloody war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, misinformation has also spread to other conflicts in Sudan, Yemen, and southern and central Syria.
The report also reached key figures such as French President Emmanuel Macron, former Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, interim Syrian President Ahmed Shara, Israeli military spokesperson Avichai Adlai in Arabic-language media, and Imam Hussein. Iraqi parliamentary elections, Pope Leo XIV’s visit to Lebanon, earthquake, polluted volcano…
The fake news, videos, and images that Annahal investigated were primarily generated by artificial intelligence and had a huge number of views. Tens of millions of people watched cats and crows chanting “Allah Akbar” at graveyards, bears knocking on doors, beaches ravaged by waves, demon-possessed people suspended in the air, and mountains spectacularly bursting into flames as if to signal the end of the world.
Anahar Fact Check section has selected the top 20 fake news of 2025 from various headlines.
1- Imam Hussein’s phone number…sold for $50?
The video shows a Shiite cleric wearing a black turban surrounded by people buying “Imam Hussein’s phone number” for $50. However, this video is generated by artificial intelligence and is not real.
2- “Military coup in France”… President Macron protests with video, African president calls
This video, created by artificial intelligence, accumulated millions of views and significant interactions within hours. It’s true that there was no military coup in France, and the video was generated by AI.
3- Flooding of the Louvre’s Egyptian Antiquities Library… What is the truth about this image?
Research has shown that this is not true and was created by artificial intelligence.
4- Hassan Nasrallah’s bed in the operations headquarters…first published image?
No, actually this image is an edited fake. The original image shows a landscape on the Portuguese island of Madeira, where it was circulated. You can download it from image storage sites and sales sites.
5. Is Souraf Huwakerji on Maher al-Assad’s lap?
Of course not. This image is fake and fake. The forgery used an original photo of Maher al-Assad taken during a reception with Syrian actor Mustafa al-Khani in June 2017.
6. Exclusive photo of Pope Leo’s plane flying over Rausche Rock?
Research has concluded that the image is an edited fake. The original image, dated August 3, 2025, shows Pope Leo XIV looking out the window at another view while riding in a helicopter during the Jubilee Year of Youth in Rome, Italy.
7- Israel sells land in southern Lebanon and releases map?
The news that spread like wildfire turned out to be old. The shared map was published on September 23, 2024 by the Israeli settlement movement Ori Tzafon, with the aim of promoting settlements in southern Lebanon.
8- Elections in Iraq… What is the truth behind excluding Sudani, Maliki and Mo’an from parliamentary elections?
A document purporting to be from Iraq’s Independent High Electoral Commission ordering the exclusion of candidates has gone viral. Annahal exposed this falsehood.
9- According to the constitution, the land of Egypt is Christian…Did the Coptic Pope say this?
An examination of the context of the Pope’s original speech reveals that he did not say this. The Preamble to the Constitution says otherwise.
10- The truth about the Sudanese mother who tried to protect her children from armed groups in Al Fashir
In fact, these images are old, dating back to September 12, 2025, and are therefore unrelated to recent events in Al-Fashir.
11- Saudi Arabia reveals Neom suspended stadium design?
The official website of the Saudi 34 World Cup has not published this design, and the relevant Saudi authorities have not released any recent statements or information regarding it. It turns out that the Hypora Ultraworks account, which “imagines the future” through fantasy architecture, published this video on October 15, 2025, claiming to be one of its designs for an AI-generated stadium atop a skyscraper.
12- Will Syrian President Ahmed Shara eat falafel in New York?
Within hours, the image spread widely on social media. However, research revealed that it was a fake created by artificial intelligence.
13- Statue of Israeli General Shakim who was recently assassinated in Rafah?
In fact, this image is of former Israeli military intelligence chief General Aharon Hariba, who resigned on April 22, 2024, about six months after the October 7, 2023 operation.
14- Broadcaster insults Avichai Adlai… “Are you a dog?”
This clip is fake. Old original footage from June 8, 2024 was used in the forgery. This photo shows Avichai Adlai in an interview with Sky News Arabia discussing the release of four Israeli hostages during a special military operation in the Nuseyrat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip at the time.
15- Iraqi doctor Ban Ziad death case…Rumors, declarations, and fake images confuse investigation
Suicide or murder? While Iraqis await the results of the official investigation into the death of young Iraqi doctor Ban Ziad Tariq, statements, images and videos have stirred rumors about the incident, which Annahar fact-checked.
16- Apologies for the graphic nature…Horrifying Mexican Crime Video Allegedly Posted by Druze of Sweida by mistake
This gruesome footage of a young man being disemboweled and brutally eaten is unrelated to the events in Suweida, southern Syria, and is actually the result of a crime that took place in Mexico in 2020.
17- “Israeli spy in Iran” Katherine Shakdam…no evidence in published information
According to social media, Shakdam infiltrated the Iranian regime, met with Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei, and briefly married 100 Iranian officials. But what do we really know about her?
18- Muslim Brotherhood announces disbandment in Egypt?
A search for the Muslim Brotherhood’s official sources on Telegram, Facebook, and its official website revealed that no such statement had been published, indicating that it was a complete fabrication.
19. Ahmed Shara’s wife calls for sexual jihad
This fake news is fabricated without any basis. The Syrian First Lady did not issue a similar statement to official media such as the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) or other local media. The statement was also not shared on the Syrian government’s official page.
20. Do bears and their owners ring the doorbell of elderly people in America?
The video received millions of views and thousands of comments and shares after being widely shared on social media. However, it is a fake generated by artificial intelligence.
