In war, a fake image does not need to survive forensic scrutiny for days. Yet the same digital ecosystem that spreads fake images has also produced a powerful counterforce: OSINT — Open-Source Intelligence. Someone had digitally added explosions and smoke and recaptioned the image as a contemporary war scene. The visual was powerful propaganda because it presented not merely a rumor but a seemingly photographic “proof” of a leader’s death. In the age of AI-generated war propaganda, a battlefield victory can now be simulated long before it actually happens.
