Venezuela Minister Claims US Naval Strike Video Likely AI-Generated

Venezuela's Minister of Communication and Information, Freddy Ñáñez, has accused the U.S. government of releasing an AI-generated video depicting a naval strike on a 'drug-carrying' boat, which the U.S. claims was part of an operation ordered by President Donald Trump targeting the Venezuelan Tren de Aragua gang. Ñáñez, referring to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, argued that the video showed signs of artificial creation, including cartoonish explosions, unnatural water effects, and digital artifacts, and suggested it was uploaded using Google's AI Gemini software. He claimed that Rubio misled President Trump, accusing him of encouraging war and attempting to implicate Trump in violence based on fabricated evidence. The Venezuelan government warned that such deepfake videos could be used to justify military actions or sanctions and stressed the growing use of synthetic videos in propaganda and disinformation. President Trump announced the strike on his social media platform, describing Tren de Aragua as a designated foreign terrorist organization responsible for various crimes across the Western Hemisphere. The incident has heightened tensions and raised concerns about the use of manipulated media in international conflict narratives.