A series of viral AI-generated and misleading videos circulating online have falsely portrayed a dramatic collapse in relations between Italy and Israel, with several clips targeting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

One widely shared video appearing on Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram shows Meloni refusing to shake hands with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during what is presented as a United Nations meeting. In the clip, Meloni is shown wearing a Palestinian flag before walking out of the room,  News.Az reports, citing Euro News.

However, the footage has been identified as AI-generated, with visible inconsistencies including distorted details and nonsensical Arabic writing on the scarf shown in the video. Other altered versions of the same clip reportedly feature changing colours and additional visual anomalies.

Another manipulated video shows Meloni angrily throwing documents in the air before storming out of a conference room. Reverse image searches linked the footage to real photographs taken during the AI Safety Summit in London in 2023, where Meloni wore the same outfit, suggesting the scene had been digitally altered.

Captions accompanying the videos falsely claimed that Italy had “terminated all agreements with Israel.” In reality, Italy only announced in April that it would not renew a defence agreement with Israel related to military equipment and technology cooperation. Multiple bilateral agreements between the two countries remain in place.

The misinformation campaign also included older protest footage from Milan, which resurfaced online with misleading claims that Italy had shut down in support of Gaza. The video actually showed clashes between police and demonstrators during a nationwide strike organised in solidarity with Palestinians earlier in 2025.

Italian officials have continued to reject suggestions of a complete diplomatic break with Israel. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani previously opposed suspending broader EU cooperation agreements with Israel, saying no such decision had been taken.

Meloni has previously criticised the spread of deepfake content using her likeness, warning that AI-generated manipulation can deceive the public and damage trust. She said deepfakes are a dangerous tool capable of targeting anyone and urged people to verify information before sharing it online.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova