Iran Conflict Sparks Disinformation Wave in Poland, Experts Caution

The Middle East conflict has sparked a wave of disinformation across Polish social media platforms, with experts warning that false narratives have become a fundamental component of modern information warfare.

State research institute NASK’s Disinformation Analysis Center has identified multiple misleading claims circulating online, ranging from antisemitic conspiracy theories to apocalyptic warnings about the conflict’s expansion. These fabricated stories are designed to manipulate public opinion and erode trust in government institutions.

“Those behind the misleading content are trying to raise fears that the fighting could spread,” said Agnieszka Lipińska, who heads NASK’s Disinformation Analysis Center. She noted that some posts falsely claimed “World War III was already underway” or suggested that Poland’s government was unprepared for the attacks.

Among the most prominent false narratives was a claim that Jews were being evacuated to Poland following the outbreak of fighting, which Lipińska said draws on antisemitic conspiracy theories, including one about a supposed “Heavenly Jerusalem” to be established in Polish territory.

Another widely shared falsehood suggested Poland had illuminated Warsaw’s Palace of Culture and Science in solidarity with Israel on February 28. While the building was indeed lit in blue, pink, and green that day, the display was actually marking Rare Disease Day, an annual medical awareness campaign.

Psychologist Agnieszka Skruczaj-Olejnik from SWPS University in Warsaw explained that disinformation has become a strategic element of modern conflict. “It shapes how societies understand events and can influence political and social decisions,” she said.

The disinformation campaign targeting Polish audiences fits into broader anti-Western, antisemitic, and conspiracy-based narratives, according to NASK’s analysis. The institute recorded peak engagement with such content between February 28 and March 3.

The problem extends far beyond Poland’s borders. One widely circulated fake video supposedly showing Iran shooting down a U.S. F-15 fighter jet in Kuwait was actually footage from the video game War Thunder. According to British media reports, this single Instagram video garnered nearly 79 million views before being debunked.

Even artificial intelligence systems have played a role in spreading misinformation. Malachy Browne of The New York Times reported that Grok, the AI chatbot on Elon Musk’s platform X, incorrectly labeled a genuine image shared by Iranian authorities as fake. The photo showed graves prepared for victims of a missile strike on a girls’ elementary school in Minab, where more than 170 people were killed, mostly students.

Skruczaj-Olejnik identified three key psychological mechanisms through which disinformation operates. First, it exploits emotional reactions, making users more impulsive and less critical. Second, repeated exposure blurs the source of information, making claims seem more credible simply through familiarity. Finally, this creates cognitive uncertainty, where people struggle to distinguish truth from fiction and begin assuming widely shared content must be reliable.

“Modern technology has made the problem easier to scale,” she warned. “A single troll with multiple social media accounts and access to artificial intelligence tools can quickly generate many versions of the same false narrative.”

NASK outlines several common disinformation techniques in its research. These include clickbait headlines designed to provoke emotional responses, impersonation of authority figures, cherry-picking facts to support misleading narratives, and creating false cause-and-effect relationships between unrelated events.

More sophisticated methods involve deepfakes—AI-generated audio or video content—and “cheapfakes,” which use simple editing tools to manipulate existing media.

Experts emphasize that ordinary internet users often unwittingly become part of this disinformation ecosystem by sharing false material. Over time, this erodes public confidence in institutions, science, and media, while exacerbating social divisions and potentially threatening national stability.

As conflicts continue to unfold on the global stage, the battle against disinformation remains as critical as ever, with organizations like NASK working to identify and counter false narratives before they take root in public consciousness.