Gaza strikes and video game clips falsely shared as 'Operation Sindoor' in Pakistan and Kashmir
Unrelated videos, Arma 3 gameplay misrepresented to depict Pakistani-Indian conflict
CLAIM
Several images and videos shared across social media claimed to document military operations as part of “Operation Sindoor” in Pakistan and Kashmir.
BACKGROUND
Several people were killed and injured after India launched “Operation Sindoor”, striking what it claimed to be nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir, authorities said on Wednesday, May 7.
Pakistan claimed to have shot down five Indian Air Force jets, declaring India’s strikes to be “an act of war”.
According to media reports citing the Pakistani army, 26 people died and 46 others were injured in India’s overnight strikes, after earlier reports indicated that eight people had died and 35 were injured.
Pakistan temporarily closed its airspace, suspending all domestic and international flights, local media reported.
The strikes come amid a sharp escalation of hostilities between the two countries over a deadly shooting attack in the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region in April.
India accused Pakistan of involvement in the attack on a tourist spot in Indian-controlled Kashmir, in which 26 people were killed. Pakistan has denied the accusation.
Following the military action, a video emerged (archived here) purporting to show the moment of strikes in Bahawalpur, a city in Punjab, Pakistan.
Another version of the video (archived here) was shared by another X user, who said: “#BREAKING: Pakistan Army confirms attack by India. India has launched an attack on Pakistan. Missiles fired at Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Bahawalpur — confirmed by DG ISPR to Pakistani journalists. India goes after terror state Pakistan.”
Several other videos shared by social media users purported to show surface-to-air missiles and guns targeting and shooting down a “Pakistani fighter jet” (archived here, here and here).
Another user, who shared similar footage (archived here), claimed the footage showed the shooting down of an Indian jet during the operation.
By Wednesday morning, a video purported to show a Pakistani military jet burning in a field after the Indian Air Force shot it down during “Operation Sindoor”.
METHOD
Bahawalpur
Beginning with the videos purporting to show strikes on Bahawalpur, in Pakistan, a Google Lens search of the footage brings us to a post by X user KABUL NEWS (archived here) dated October 23, 2023, with the following caption: “Israel intensified its bombing of Gaza last night. According to Palestinian media reports, 400 people, including women and children, lost their lives in last night’s bombings, and hundreds more are still trapped under collapsed buildings.”
The footage shared by KABUL NEWS in October 2023 is an exact match to the footage shared by users mugheesali81 and AdityaRajKaul, claiming to show strikes on Bahawalpur during “Operation Sindoor” on May 6 and 7, 2025.
Surface-to-air missiles and guns
Moving on to the footage purporting to show surface-to-air missiles and guns firing upon and downing Indian and Pakistani jets, all four videos share similarities in their appearance.
The skyline has a purple-blue tint, with the weaponry trails and missiles appearing highly saturated in the footage.
A Google Lens search of the footage shared by @MithilaWaala, brought us to the Facebook page of Coffin Gaming, a gaming streamer based in New York, in the United States. The page regularly shares gaming content of combat dogfights and war scenes.
One of the videos shared by the owner of the page (archived here) on April 19, 2025, shows surface-to-air missiles and guns firing upon and downing a warplane. The uploader titled the video: “S-401 Air Defense Targeted FPV Drone! Ep 115.”
Comparing the footage shared by Coffin Gaming with that shared by @MithilaWaala, and Akhand_Bharat_S we can see that the footage is an exact match. Coffin Gaming’s footage is higher quality, while @MithilaWaala’s and Akhand_Bharat_S’ footage is pixelated and cropped.
Coffin Gaming lists footage as being gameplay from Arma 3, an open-world tactical shooter simulation video game developed and published by Bohemia Interactive exclusively through the Steam distribution platform.
The footage shared by KaildZaid and ImRijuta, also originates from Arma 3.
Footage from the game has been misrepresented in several real conflicts, including Ukraine and Gaza.
Downed burning jet
Looking at the video shared by @mastchora_ (archived here) we can see the footage shows a burning fighter jet bearing the flag of Pakistan in a rural area.
A Google Lens search of the footage brings us to a news article by Pakistani Urdu language news channel Samaa TV dated April 15, 2025, reporting on the crash of a Pakistan Air Force (PAF) training aircraft near the Ratta Tibba area of Vehari.
Images shared in the April article match those of the video shared by @mastchora_ May 7, indicating the video is old and dates back to April 15, 2025.
Further confirmation comes from Facebook user Abid Vhr (archived here), who shared footage of the downed Pakistani jet on April 15, 2025, that shows the same scene as that in the video shared by @mastchora_.
From this analysis, we can conclude that footage shared by several social media users has been misrepresented to suggest it documents “Operation Sindoor”.
RATING
The footage claimed to show strikes on Bahawalpur actually depicts Israeli airstrikes on Gaza from 2023. Clips of surface-to-air missile attacks were found to be gameplay from the video game Arma 3. A separate video showing a downed Pakistani jet dates back to a training crash in April 2025, not to “Operation Sindoor”.
SOURCES
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: Bahawalpur [Accessed 7 May 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: #BREAKING: Pakistan Army confirms attack by India. [Accessed 7 May 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: Video of the Pakistani fighter jet which was shot down [Accessed 7 May 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: Heavy Artillery Fire going on in Poonch [Accessed 7 May 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: It is the country of Buddha and gives [Accessed 7 May 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: The moment of shooting down an Indian plane Watch the power [Accessed 7 May 2025].
Samaa TV. (2025). Available at: PAF aircraft crashes near Vehari with 2 pilots on board [Accessed 7 May 2025].
Facebook.com. (2025). Facebook. [online] Available at: Pakistan Air force ka jet gir kr tabah near Vehari City [Accessed 7 May 2025].
Wikipedia. (2011). 2013 open-world, tactical shooter video game. [online] Wikipedia.org. Available at: Arma 3 [Accessed 7 May 2025].
X (formerly Twitter). (2025). Available at: Israel intensified its bombing of Gaza last night. [Accessed 7 May 2025].
Eurovision Social Newswire. (2025). JAMMU AND KASHMIR: Eurovision Social Newswire. [online] Available at: Plane wreckage removed from Indian-controlled Kashmir region [Accessed 7 May 2025].