Viral Video Falsely Claims US F-35 Shot Down Iranian Drone Near Aircraft Carrier
The Claim
In early February 2026, a video began circulating widely across Social media[1] claiming to show a US F-35 fighter jet shooting down an Iranian “Shahed 139” drone near an American aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea. The posts emerged shortly after the US military confirmed that a Navy F-35C had intercepted and destroyed an Iranian drone that approached the USS Abraham Lincoln on February 3.[2]
The timing gave the footage immediate traction. Social media captions, particularly in Indonesian-language posts, explicitly linked the dramatic mid-air explosion in the clip to the confirmed US-Iran encounter. The narrative suggested that the video provided visual proof of escalating tensions between Washington and Tehran. [3]In a region already marked by fragile diplomacy and military posturing, the clip was quickly absorbed into broader geopolitical discourse.
However, verification of the footage reveals a different reality.
Tracing the Origin of the Footage
A reverse image search using key frames from the viral clip traces the video back to June 14, 2025 nearly eight months before the February 2026 drone interception involving the USS Abraham Lincoln.[1] The earliest identifiable version was posted on Israel’s official Spanish-language Instagram account and credited to Israeli content creator Tomer Nagli.
The same footage appears on Nagli’s YouTube channel with the description: “An Iranian Shahed 136 Drone Hit By An Israeli Iron Dome.” Text embedded within the video itself indicates it was filmed in Upper Galilee on June 14, 2025.[2]
This date corresponds with the June 2025 escalation between Israel and Iran, which began after Israeli strikes on Iranian military and nuclear facilities on June 13. Iran retaliated with coordinated drone and missile attacks targeting Israeli territory. The confrontation lasted 12 days and concluded with a ceasefire on June 24. During that period, Israel’s Iron Dome and other air defence systems intercepted numerous Iranian drones, including Shahed-136 models.
The drone visible in the viral footage matches the Shahed-136 configuration, not a “Shahed 139” as claimed in the social media posts. The explosion pattern and interception trajectory are consistent with Iron Dome defensive strikes rather than an air-to-air engagement by a fighter jet.
The February 2026 Incident
The confirmed February 3, 2026 interception involved a US Navy F-35C downing an Iranian drone that approached the USS Abraham Lincoln while it was operating in regional waters.[1] Official US statements verified the encounter but did not release any video footage corresponding to the viral clip.
There is no evidence that the Pentagon published imagery of the February 2026 shootdown matching the circulating video. The aircraft carrier environment, flight deck visuals, and defensive systems typical of such engagements are absent from the viral footage. Instead, the clip shows a ground-based air defence interception consistent with Israel’s Iron Dome operations.
The two incidents are separated by months, different operational theatres, and entirely distinct military actors.
Miscontextualisation and Digital Amplification
This case illustrates a recurring pattern in conflict reporting within digital ecosystems. Dramatic footage from prior military engagements is frequently recycled and repackaged during new geopolitical events. When tensions rise, previously documented scenes are stripped of their original timestamps and reintroduced as breaking developments.
The viral narrative gained credibility because it aligned with a real, confirmed event. However, alignment in timing does not equate to authenticity of evidence. By attaching older footage to a new headline, the posts manufactured visual confirmation where none existed.
In high-stakes security environments, such misrepresentation can inflame public perception, distort diplomatic narratives, and amplify misinformation at scale.
CyberPoe Verdict
The video circulating in February 2026 does not show a US F-35 shooting down an Iranian drone near an American aircraft carrier. The footage originates from June 14, 2025 and depicts an Iranian Shahed-136 drone intercepted by Israel’s Iron Dome during the Iran–Israel escalation.
The clip has been mislabelled and reframed to correspond with a separate, later US-Iran military encounter. As regional tensions continue to generate intense online engagement, verifying the original source, upload date, and operational context of viral footage remains essential. In the
absence of such verification, recycled content can rapidly transform into manufactured evidence, shaping narratives that diverge sharply from documented reality.
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