AI-generated video falsely linked to Houthi attacks on Saudi airports

Yemen's Houthi rebels launched a series of strikes targeting Saudi Arabia's airports in October 2026, but a video circulating in posts claiming it showed one of the attacks is in fact an AI-generated creation. It contains multiple visual inconsistencies and was flagged by Meta's AI detection tool as synthetic content. AFP also previously debunked the same video in March 2026, when it was falsely shared as footage of an attack at Dubai airport. "Following the attack on Riyadh airport, Saudi Arabia's international airport in Dammam has also been struck; the Houthis may now target all Saudi airports," reads a Weibo post in simplified Chinese shared on October 12, 2026. The post includes a 14-second video which shows a chaotic scene at an airport, with people running with their luggage and debris scattered. The clip has garnered over 109,000 views. Screenshot of the Weibo post, taken on October 12, 2026, with a red X and an AI label added by AFP The false claim circulated as several airports across Saudi Arabia have been hit in recent weeks as Yemen's civil war -- in which a Saudi-led military coalition supports the government against the Iran-backed Houthis -- reignited in July (archived here , here and here ). The attacks included a missile strike on Riyadh's King Khalid International Airport on October 10, which killed at least 13 people and wounded hundreds, making it the deadliest attack on Saudi soil in more than a decade ( archived link ). King Fahd International Airport in Dammam was targeted in the evening of October 11, according to Saudi's civil aviation authority. ( archived link ). Riyadh's airport was hit by another attack the following day, killing one person ( archived link ). Similar claims with the footage were shared across X in Chinese and other languages, including English and Arabic . But the clip is not actually a portrayal of the October attacks, and it carries clear indicators that it was created using AI tools. AI-generated clip AFP previously debunked the same video in March 2026 , when it was falsely shared as footage of an attack on Dubai airport. It also contains several visual inconsistencies that are hallmarks of AI-generated content. A woman in the video pulls a suitcase, but in later frames the suitcase starts moving by itself. The woman then runs into a glass wall on the left and disappears. Screenshots of the false video posted on Weibo, taken on October 12, 2026, with visual inconsistencies highlighted and AI labels added by AFP A lounge chair appears at the beginning of the video but changes to an outdoor setting in the final scene, with the background on fire. Screenshot comparison of the beginning frame (L) of the false video and the last frame, taken on October 12, 2026, with AI labels added by AFP Meta's AI detection tool has also flagged the falsely shared clip as created using generative AI ( archived link ). Screenshot of results from the Meta detection tool analysis, taken on October 12, 2026, with an AI label added by AFP AFP has debunked other false claims related to the Yemen war.