Wrote: Etrit Rexhepi
An image is published showing several fighter jets with the Kosovo flag on their tails.
it CONTENT was published on Saturday (February 21) on Facebook by an account called "Lajme Nga Bota" and has the caption claiming that the United States of America has promised Kosovo ten F-16 fighter jets, following our country's eventual membership in NATO.
What is the truth?
Hibrid.info has found that this content was generated by artificial intelligence (AI). Moreover, the claim presented is not even confirmed by official and reliable sources.
This content, up to the moment of treatment, has received over 1,200 likes and over 120 comments, from whose content it can be assessed that the audience is likely to perceive the claim as credible.
Hibrid.info has checked through the automated search program “InVID” and found that this photograph was taken from a video material published on Facebook by the account named “Labinot Gashi” (see here).
The video posted by Labinot Gashi has a description that explains that it was generated by AI.
The chance that this image was generated by this technology is over 50%, according to "HiveModeration", which is an AI-generated content analysis platform.
Meanwhile, after analyzing the video material from which this image was extracted, "Hivemoderation" has given a high probability that this content is generated by AI.
Hibrid.info has also researched the claim using the search engine "Google", searching for the words "10 F-16 aircraft for Kosovo" (see here).
In addition to some content claiming that Turkey will equip Kosovo with F-16 aircraft, an issue previously addressed by hibrid.info (here), the search did not turn up any reliable sources that would confirm this claim.
Hibrid.info also checked the Facebook pages of the Ministry of Defense and the Government of Kosovo, which serve as official sources of information, but did not come across any announcements from these institutions that could substantiate the claim in question (see here and here).
Because the claim mentions the US, hibrid.info also checked the websites of the US Department of Defense and the White House. No official announcement was found there that would match the claim discussed in this article (see here and here).
In an interview last week, Ejup Maqedonci, the Minister of Defense, announced that the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is in the process of purchasing multi-purpose helicopters, which are expected to increase air capabilities for transport, operational support and response to emergency situations. The acquisition of a fourth anti-tank system has also been announced, as part of the expansion of ground defense capabilities (see here).
The F‑16 Fighting Falcon is a single-engine fighter aircraft, originally designed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force, which became one of the most widely used aircraft in the world. It is capable of air-to-air and air-to-ground missions, with advanced avionics and the ability to operate in various weather conditions (see here).
Analyze:
An image claims that the United States has promised Kosovo ten F-16 fighter jets, following the country's eventual membership in NATO.
However, this publication is not reliable. Analysis shows that the image may have been generated by artificial intelligence (AI), as it was cut from a video that the "HiveModeration" platform has assessed as highly likely to have been generated by AI.
Hibrid.info also found no official sources to confirm the post's claim, including the websites of the Kosovo Ministry of Defense, the Government of Kosovo, the US Department of Defense, and the White House. A Google search did not yield any credible information supporting this claim.
According to official information from the Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is purchasing multifunctional helicopters and is planning other ground defense systems, but there is no mention of F-16 aircraft.
Therefore, based on its work methodology, Hibrid.info assesses this claim as "Fake News".
Reasoning:
The “Fake News” rating is given to informational content that is entirely fabricated or that contains factually incorrect claims or information. Content that is rated as fake news can be defined as having been created and distributed with the intent to misinform the public, i.e., to present a claim that is completely false as fact.