Original article (in Bosnian) was published on 12/11/2024; Author: Amar Karađuz
A manipulated photo of a billboard allegedly showing Iran threatening a nuclear attack on Tel Aviv has been published by several media outlets. It is photoshopped.
Amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran, on November 5, 2024, the website Klix published an article titled “A billboard appears in Tehran with the inscription ‘Teloshima.’”
“Teloshima” is a derivative of the toponyms Tel Aviv and Hiroshima, alluding to the possibility that Tel Aviv could face the same fate as the Japanese city of Hiroshima, which was hit by an atomic bomb in 1945.
The article included a post from the social network X, which featured a photo of the alleged billboard. The post, written in English, stated the following: “This is new: a very large billboard in Tehran says ‘Teloshima’ (Tel Aviv + Hiroshima) along with the phrase in Hebrew ‘All necessary weapons.’ This is the first time we’ve seen a DIRECT threat of nuclear weapons use coming from Iran”.
This article was soon republished by Avaz under the title, “Iran threatens with nuclear weapons: Billboard with a chilling message appears in Tehran”. Claims of a nuclear attack threat were also shared by Vecernje novosti (.ba), RTVIS, Dnevnik, Trn and the blog Magazin press.
Speculation about Israel’s nuclear program was further fueled by the claim that Tel Aviv was threatened with a nuclear strike after a billboard bearing the inscription “Teloshima” allegedly appeared on the streets of Tehran.
In the original Klix article, the title was later changed to:
“Iranians call for the destruction of Tel Aviv: Billboards with ‘Teloshima’ inscription spread on social media”.
The original article link (https://www.klix.ba/vijesti/svijet/u-teheranu-osvanuo-bilbord-sa-natpisom-teloshima/241105066) now redirects to the updated article with the new title and link (https://www.klix.ba/vijesti/svijet/iranci-traze-unistenje-tel-aviva-na-drustvenim-mrezama-sire-se-bilbordi-sa-natpisom-teloshima/241105066).
The revised text no longer claims that a billboard “appeared on the streets of Tehran” but instead states that a billboard “appeared on social media”:
Speculation about Iran’s nuclear program was further fueled by Iranian threats that Tel Aviv would be struck with nuclear weapons.
For the first time since the mass escalation between Israel and Iran, threats of nuclear weapons use have emerged from Iran.
Today, a billboard appeared on social media with the slogan ‘Teloshima’ written in Persian.
What’s Incorrect About These Claims?
Location
Many users on the social network X commented under the original post, pointing out that the image is manipulated, or “photoshopped”.
One post in English noted that the Persian news channel @Saberin_ir debunked the billboard image as fake, adding that the building on which the alleged billboard was displayed is not in Tehran but in the Iranian city of Mashhad.
#FactCheck #FakeNews: A viral image showing a nuclear explosion alongside the word “Teloshima,” referencing #Israel’s Tel Aviv and #Japan’s Hiroshima, has been debunked as fake by the Persian news outlet @Saberin_ir. Geolocation analysis identified the building as a commercial property on Shahed Boulevard in Mashhad, Iran (36.3523041, 59.5009362), housing businesses and clinics.
Further verification of the geolocation from this claim using street view available on Google Maps confirms that the building is located on Shahed Boulevard in Mashhad. The building can also be seen in photographs featured in local media.
In the post on the mentioned X profile @Saberin_ir, there is a photograph of this building, which appears to have been taken after the claims about the billboard spread online. The photograph shows only a mural featuring a man and other inscriptions.
The Billboard on the Wall of a Building in Mashhad
In fact, two images of the building with the threatening billboard (1, 2), are circulating online, taken from different heights and distances.
However, a closer inspection of the two photographs shows that they were taken in a short time span. When the photos are compared, one can observe a flock of birds flying over the building, which can serve as an indicator of the passage of time. Additionally, the shadow positions of the building and trees in both photographs are identical, as is the positioning of the blinds on the windows on the right side of the building’s facade. It is reasonable to assume that these photos are likely screenshots from a video, probably shot by a drone.
Although this might suggest that the billboard is real, as it was indeed captured from two different angles, more signs point to the fact that these photographs are not authentic.
On the Instagram profile @ilmatower1400, a video posted on September 23, 2024, provides a more detailed view of the building where the alleged billboard is located.
In the footage, as well as in the previously mentioned photographs from the news channel and Google Maps, it is visible that along the left edge of the building’s facade, there is the inscription “ILMA TOWER” in metal letters. In the image of the alleged billboard circulating in the media, these letters are missing. If the billboard had been placed over such letters, there would certainly be a raised imprint of the letters on it.
Furthermore, it can be noted that the dimensions of the alleged billboard on social media and in the media do not match the space intended for billboards on the building, meaning the billboard appears to be “stretched” all the way to the left edge of the tower. Finally, the edges of the billboard with the threatening message also appear exaggerated and do not blend seamlessly with the edges of the building.
Using the online photo analysis tool Forensically, by adjusting the parameters in the “Level Sweep” option, it becomes apparent that the area of the image where the alleged billboard is located remains unnaturally emphasized compared to the rest of the image. This option allows for increasing contrast across different light levels in the photo, and its use reveals the edges of parts that were likely added to the original image. This analysis provides further evidence that the billboard was manipulated, as the alteration creates an artificial visual effect that stands out from the rest of the image.
This is not the case when adjusting the parameters on the image of the building with the actual facade, as published by the Saberin channel. In that image, when the same adjustments are made, there is no unnatural emphasis or visible alteration in the areas of the photo. This further supports the authenticity of the image and suggests that the photo with the manipulated billboard is indeed altered, while the image of the real building remains unmodified.
Furthermore, on November 5, 2024, the Iranian news agency Mehr News published a video showing a journalist standing in front of a building in Mashhad, where there is no billboard with the “Teloshima” message. The person in the video directly addresses the false claims and the manipulated image that went viral, confirming that there is no threat of a nuclear attack on Tel Aviv on the building in question.
Based on the facts, it is clear that no threatening billboard with the “Teloshima” message appeared in Tehran or anywhere in Iran. The photo that supposedly depicts it has been “photoshopped”. Therefore, the earliest publication claiming that “Iran has issued nuclear threats to Israel”, based on social media posts featuring the manipulated image of a non-existent billboard, is rated as fake news.
Subsequent publications of these claims are rated as the distribution of fake news.
