Govt Debunks Turkish Media Claim That India Shared Iranian Ship’s Location with Israel

New Delhi — The government on Tuesday dismissed as false a viral claim suggesting that India had shared the location of an Iranian naval vessel with Israel, clarifying that the allegation was based on an AI-generated deepfake video of General Upendra Dwivedi circulated by propaganda accounts.

The Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check unit said the claim was amplified by the Turkish newspaper Yeni ?afak after initially being spread by Pakistani social media accounts.

In a post on X, the PIB Fact Check unit explained that the report relied on a manipulated video falsely attributed to the Indian Army Chief.

“Based on an AI video of Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi circulated by Pakistani propaganda accounts, Turkish newspaper Yeni ?afak has further claimed that India admitted sharing Iranian ship location with Israel,” the fact-checking unit said.

The agency clarified that the claim was entirely fabricated and that the Army Chief had made no such statement.

“The claim made is Fake. Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi has not made such statement,” the PIB Fact Check unit stated, urging citizens to remain cautious and report suspicious or misleading content.

According to the agency, the viral clip is an AI-generated deepfake designed to falsely portray the Army Chief as saying India informed Israel about the location of an Iranian naval vessel after it left Indian waters.

The PIB further noted that the manipulated video attempted to suggest that India, as a strategic ally of Israel, shared intelligence about the Iranian ship, which was allegedly targeted in international waters.

To counter the misinformation, the government released the original video from the Raisina Dialogue 2026, where General Dwivedi participated in a discussion with Harsh V. Pant, Vice President of the Observer Research Foundation.

During the session, the Army Chief discussed lessons from modern military operations, including insights from Operation Sindoor, and emphasised the importance of coordination among India’s defence services in responding to emerging security challenges.

The PIB said the original remarks were unrelated to the claims being circulated online and warned that the deepfake video was created to mislead the public and spread misinformation.

With inputs from IANS