The Photo Showing the Pigeon-Shaped Drone Is AI-Generated
The Claim
Hezbollah sends a message to the audience of the occupation: "Not every bird flying around you is a bird..."
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Recently, social media users have been circulating an image claiming to show a pigeon with electronic components, published by Hezbollah to the Israeli public with the message, "Not every bird flying around you is a bird."
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the circulating image and found the claim to be fake.
Misbar's team found the image was generated by AI and is not an illustration of a robotic dove used by Hezbollah for surveillance of the Israeli occupation.
A content analysis performed on the 'Hive Moderation' website shows a 99.8% probability that the image is AI-generated.
The image has been circulating on the internet with various claims since May 2024. However, no media outlets have confirmed that Hezbollah used a pigeon for espionage.
Escalating Drone Warfare: Hezbollah’s Rising Threat To Israeli Security
The claim surfaced amid rising Hezbollah drone operations against Israeli targets, including Haifa and the Ramat David Airbase.
On Tuesday, Hezbollah's drone attack on an Israeli base near Nahariya injured six. In April, a drone strike killed an Israeli soldier and injured 13 others, along with four civilians in Arab al-Aramsheh. While Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claims the group can now produce its own drones, most operations involve Iranian-made Ababil and Shahed drones, and at least one Russian-made S5 missile drone.
Despite Israeli efforts to target key drone experts like Fouad Shukur, who was killed in 2013, and recent strikes on Iranian and Hezbollah specialists in Syria, Hezbollah's capabilities continue to grow. The group has shifted from lower-tech methods to advanced drone strikes, such as a significant mid-May attack on an Israeli air force surveillance system.
These advancements offer Hezbollah a strong option for retaliation, particularly following an airstrike in Beirut last month that killed senior commander Fouad Shukur.
“The threat from Hezbollah’s drones is significant,” said Fabian Hinz, a research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. Despite Israel’s air defense systems, like the Iron Dome, drone threats have received less attention.
Renewed Violence Forces Evacuations in Khan Younis
Israeli tanks re-entered the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Friday, prompting families to evacuate. Israeli airstrikes targeted various locations within the enclave, resulting in the deaths of at least 35 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Thousands of individuals fled eastern Khan Younis, using vehicles, donkey carts, and motorcycle rickshaws to transport their belongings as they navigated heavily congested roads. Amid increasing tensions between Israel and Lebanon, leaders from the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar are working to revive ceasefire discussions, with new talks scheduled for August 15.
In recent weeks, Israeli forces have re-entered previously secured areas of the Gaza Strip after nearly ten months of conflict. During the latest military operation, leaflets were distributed instructing residents and displaced individuals in eastern Khan Younis—Gaza's main southern city—to evacuate from sites experiencing ongoing violence. Many families sought refuge in Al-Mawasi, a coastal region designated as safe by Israeli forces, though some expressed concerns about potential attacks in that area.
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