An alleged video of “the moment a missile fell on a Saudi civilian plane.” What is its authenticity?

A video clip spread on social media claiming to show scenes of the moment “a missile fell on a Saudi civilian plane at King Khalid International Airport” in the Saudi capital, Riyadh. A video (about 6 seconds long) shows a scene of what appears to be a Saudi Airlines plane parked on the ground of an airport.

The scenes begin with a large explosion in the middle of the plane, before it turns into a huge fireball and thick black smoke, with debris and pieces of the plane flying. The video, which received more than two million views on the X website alone, was accompanied by a misleading description that said: “Breaking news: New video scenes of the moment King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, was targeted.”

The video contains several indicators that confirm that it is not real, including the inconsistency in the sizes of objects and vehicles (small cars, buses, service equipment), which appeared in irrational proportions compared to the large size of the plane and the airport building. In addition to the fact that the movement of objects and debris during the explosion is unnatural, with debris flying in a physically unrealistic way, and nearby objects interacting with the explosion, in a way that appears artificial and not resulting from real movement.

The fireball also expands in a dramatic and perfectly symmetrical way, which are common features in AI-generated videos. The circulation of the video comes with the Saudi authorities announcing that two attacks targeted the facilities of King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh, in addition to a Saudi Airlines plane.

The Saudi General Authority of Civil Aviation announced on Friday that the two attacks resulted in “the martyrdom of 3 Saudi citizens, may God have mercy on them,” “a number of citizens and residents sustained varying injuries,” and “material damage.” Saudi Airlines reported that one of its employees was killed and one of its aircraft was damaged.

In a later statement, the company mourned the pilot of the plane, Captain Hamoud bin Ali Al-Kalthami, who was killed in the attack, and offered condolences to his family.