The Press Information Bureau (PIB) has debunked a viral video falsely showing Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi claiming India shared intelligence with Israel about an Iranian warship. PIB confirmed the clip is an AI-generated deepfake being circulated by Pakistani propaganda accounts.
🚨 Deepfake Video Alert
— PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) March 9, 2026
Pakistani propaganda accounts are sharing a digitally manipulated video of the Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, making false claims that when the Iranian ship crossed the international waters, as Israeli strategic allies, it was our duty to… pic.twitter.com/itQ63pXGuF
In the fabricated video, General Dwivedi appears to say that under a “new strategic deal” with Israel, India informed Israeli authorities about the location of an Iranian naval vessel, identified in some posts as IRIS Dena, after it entered international waters. The clip further claims that the information enabled a U.S. submarine to strike the vessel.
PIB’s Fact Check Unit clarified that the Army Chief never made any such statement and labelled the video a deliberate attempt to mislead the public.
The original footage comes from General Dwivedi’s address at the Raisina Dialogue, where he spoke about India monitoring regional developments while maintaining neutrality. The manipulated version shows clear signs of tampering, including mismatched lip movements, unnatural phrasing, and AI-generated audio overlays.
PIB urged people to verify suspicious content through official channels and report misinformation via WhatsApp (+91 8799711259) or email [email protected].
The fake video surfaced amid rising Iran–Israel tensions and has been widely circulated on X by accounts linked to foreign disinformation networks. Independent fact-checkers have also confirmed it as a deepfake.
Many users on social media demanded stricter action against propaganda accounts, with some calling for Pakistan-based handles spreading such content to be blocked in India.
This is part of a broader pattern. Over the past year, several deepfake videos targeting General Dwivedi have circulated online, including false claims about Indian military during Operation Sindoor and internal policies. Each has been debunked by PIB, highlighting the growing use of AI-driven disinformation to target Indian institutions and influence public perception.
