The Press Information Bureau Fact Check unit on Tuesday dismissed as fake a viral social media claim alleging that India had shared the location of an Iranian naval ship with Israel, clarifying that the allegation originated from an AI-generated video falsely attributed to Upendra Dwivedi.
According to PIB Fact Check, the manipulated video was circulated online by Pakistani propaganda accounts and later amplified by the Turkish newspaper Yeni Safak, which reported that India had admitted to sharing the coordinates of an Iranian naval vessel with Israel.
The government’s fact-checking agency stated that the claim was entirely false and misleading.
In a post on the social media platform X, the PIB Fact Check unit said the viral narrative was based on an artificial intelligence-generated video depicting the Army chief making remarks that he never made.
The post said the Turkish newspaper had relied on the manipulated clip circulated by Pakistani accounts to claim that India had acknowledged sharing the location of an Iranian ship with Israel.
PIB clarified that the video was fabricated using artificial intelligence and that the Army chief had not issued any statement suggesting India had provided intelligence to Israel regarding Iranian naval movements.
The fact-checking unit urged citizens to remain cautious while consuming online content and asked them to report suspicious or misleading material. It also provided a WhatsApp number for users to submit questionable posts for verification.
In a separate post, PIB Fact Check further explained that Pakistani propaganda accounts were distributing a digitally altered video falsely attributing controversial statements to the Army chief regarding India’s alleged involvement in providing intelligence to Israel.
The viral clip purportedly showed General Dwivedi commenting on an Iranian naval vessel and claiming that India had informed Israel of the ship’s location after it entered international waters as part of a strategic understanding. The video also suggested that India had no direct role in the alleged attack on the ship but had shared location-based intelligence.
PIB said these statements were fabricated and part of a misinformation campaign using AI-generated deepfake technology designed to mislead the public.
The fact-checking unit emphasised that the Army chief had made no such remarks and warned that the video circulating online was created to spread disinformation.
To counter the claim, PIB Fact Check released the original and unedited footage of the Army chief’s remarks to demonstrate the context in which the video had been manipulated.
The authentic clip was taken from a session at the Raisina Dialogue 2026, where General Dwivedi participated in a discussion moderated by Harsh V. Pant of the Observer Research Foundation.
During the discussion, the Army chief addressed lessons from Operation Sindoor and spoke about the evolving nature of modern warfare. He also highlighted India’s approach to responding firmly to acts of terrorism and stressed the importance of improved coordination and operational synergy among defence services and related agencies.
PIB reiterated that the viral video misrepresented the Army chief’s remarks and confirmed that the content had been artificially generated and circulated to mislead viewers.
