The Press Information Bureau's (PIB) Fact Check Unit has said that a video circulating on social media which appears to show Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi speaking about the Iran-Israel issue is fake and digitally manipulated. According to the PIB Fact Check unit, the video has been widely shared by Pakistani propaganda accounts and falsely claims that the Army Chief spoke about informing Israel about the location of an Iranian ship as part of a strategic arrangement.
However, the PIB clarified that the video is an AI-generated deepfake and that General Upendra Dwivedi has made no such statement.
“Pakistani propaganda accounts are sharing a digitally manipulated video of the Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi, making false claims that when the Iranian ship crossed the international waters, as Israeli strategic allies, it was our duty to inform Israel about their exact location as a part of our newer strategic deal,” the PIB Fact Check unit said in a post on its official X handle.
“Beware! This is an AI-generated deepfake video shared to mislead the public. General Upendra Dwivedi has made NO such statement,” the PIB Fact Check unit said.
The manipulated clip circulating online shows the Army Chief supposedly making remarks about the Iran-Israel situation.
In the fabricated video, he is heard saying, “It is indeed unfortunate, but it was done in international waters. As long the Iranian ship remained in Indian waters, they remained protected, but when they crossed the international waters as Israeli strategic allies, it was our duty to inform Israel about their exact location as a part of our newer strategic deal. So, you are wrong to assume that Iranian naval ships were destroyed within Indian territory.”
The same clip further claims that he said, “What Israel does in international waters is their business. We can provide Israel with location or intelligence, but we had no part in the Israeli and US joint torpedo attack. They did their business. It is Iran's war and India has nothing to do with it. Our focus remains on Pakistan and Israel will help us in achieving that goal. We remain grateful to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for helping us seek permission of importing Russian fuel.”
However, the PIB Fact Check unit clarified that the viral clip is not genuine and that the original video has been altered to insert false statements. In reality, the Army Chief was speaking to Firstpost on a different subject. In the original, unedited clip, he is heard discussing Operation Sindoor and India's approach to deterrence.
In the real video, General Dwivedi says, "Coming on to this Operation Sindoor, if I say that this is the first time where India decided that dispersive deterrence will not work. We have to be very credible about it. So, the three things which are required for the deterrence is the credibility, capability and the third thing is will to wage war and this is the first time when we actually executed all that."
"That is the first lesson which I wish to give you. It was a new normal and we said this will now be a policy that in case there is a terror action, the policy will be to kind of retaliate under own terms and conditions."
The PIB further urged the public to remain cautious about misleading content circulating online and encouraged people to report such material.
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