### AI-Generated Footage Adds Confusion Amid Real Beirut Bombardment

A video posted on X showcasing what appeared to be airstrikes in Beirut has sparked confusion, partly because the most striking scenes were artificially generated. The video, which showed large fires across the city's skyline, featured footage that was actually created by an AI artist using the username @digital.n0mad on TikTok. This user specializes in AI-generated content and had clearly labeled the video as such, although it was tagged as being from Beirut.

The montage included unmistakable signs of computer-generated visuals: overly fast-moving traffic compared to the flames, and surrealistic distortions like a mound seemingly melting next to two large towers. Despite these signs, the clip was widely shared and mistaken for authentic footage.

In contrast, the latter part of the X video included genuine footage of an Israeli airstrike near Beirut's international airport. This part of the video was broadcast live by the Lebanese TV network Al Jadeed and verified by CBS News.

Several prominent accounts, including that of University of Miami analyst and lecturer Rula Jebreal and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), shared the video. CAIR later deleted their post and clarified that only the initial segment was AI-generated, while the rest of the footage was real.

A CAIR spokesperson stated, "This therefore appears to be one of those unusual instances in which the mistaken use of AI footage didn’t change anything substantively about the point being made: buildings in Beirut are burning under an indiscriminate Israeli bombing campaign."

In the past two weeks since Israel intensified its strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon, CBS News has verified numerous videos showing fires, explosions, and widespread devastation across Beirut and other areas. The Lebanese health ministry reports over 2,000 fatalities in the period, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has noted that over a million people have been displaced from their homes.