What was claimed
An image shows the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, UAE, on fire.
Our verdict
This image is fake and was created or altered using AI.
Fake image of burning Burj Khalifa circulates online
An image showing the Burj Khalifa on fire is fake and was generated using Artificial Intelligence (AI).
The image, which was shared on Facebook on 28 February, depicts the world’s tallest building engulfed in flames with burning debris falling from it. The foreground of the image shows several emergency service vehicles and people evacuating the area around the building in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
There have been verified reports of Iranian missiles and drones targeting locations in Dubai, as well as damage due to debris from intercepted attacks. But at the time of writing we’ve seen no credible reports and no genuine images or footage of a major fire engulfing the Burj Khalifa.
Additionally, Full Fact has confirmed that this image contains a SynthID watermark, indicating that it was created or altered using Google AI.
We’re fact checking a number of images and videos circulating on social media relating to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
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Before sharing content like this that you see on social media, it’s important to consider whether it comes from a verifiable and trustworthy source. Our Full Fact toolkit can help you do this.
This article is part of our work fact checking potentially false pictures, videos and stories on Facebook. You can read more about this—and find out how to report Facebook content—here. For the purposes of that scheme, we’ve rated this claim as false because this image is fake and was created or altered using AI.