Claim: A video shows Pakistan has deployed its air force along the border with Iran as a precautionary measure during the Israel-Iran conflict.
Fact: The video predates the recent Israel-Iran conflict and, therefore, is unrelated to it.
On 13 June, an X user posted a video (archive) depicting two fighter jets taking off from a runway. The description alongside the post stated: “Pakistan has deployed its air force along the Iran-Pakistan border as a precautionary measure to intercept any stray projectiles that may violate its airspace.”
Following Israel’s airstrikes on Iran, reports emerged about Pakistan deploying its fighter jets along the Pakistan-Iran border and near its nuclear facilities. Pakistan’s Defense Minister Khawaja Asif declined to comment on these reports during an interview with Arab News (archive). He asserted, however, that Pakistan had not “engaged in any new military cooperation with Tehran since Israel launched attacks on Iran last week and had not held specific talks with the United States over the escalating crisis in the Middle East.”
Therefore, this article does not aim to fact-check claims of whether Pakistan has deployed its air force along the border with Iran. It only verifies if the footage is related.
Israel-Iran conflict
Early morning on 13 June, Israel launched airstrikes on Iran, targeting its nuclear sites and military bases. The attacks have also struck residential areas.
The missiles targeted the Natanz nuclear site, Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility. Israel also struck the Isfahan Nuclear Technology Center, damaging four buildings. The offensive killed six Iranian nuclear scientists, including Fereydoon Abbasi-Davani, former head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran, and Mohammad Mehdi Tehranchi, president of the Islamic Azad University in Tehran.
Israeli attacks also killed top Iranian military officials, including General Mohammad Bagheri, Revolutionary Guards Chief Hossein Salami, and IRGC Aerospace Commander Amir Ali Hajizadeh. Gholamali Rashid, the head of the IRGC’s Khatam-al Anbiya Central Headquarters, was also killed in the attack.
Soon after, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, named replacements for the two top Iranian commanders killed in the attack, the AP reported.
Israel’s attacks have killed at least 610 Iranians and injured another 4,746, according to Al Jazeera’s 24 June report, which cited the Iranian Ministry of Health.
Some 200 Israeli jets were involved in the attacks targeting 100 sites in Iran, The Guardian reported.
In response, Iran launched drones towards Israel, some of which were reportedly intercepted by Jordan and also spotted in Iraq’s airspace. According to an Israeli military official, the country’s air defences had “shot down many of the over 100 drones launched by Iran.” The retaliatory attacks have killed at least 29 people and wounded another 900.
It is necessary to note that official sources in Iran and Israel have not been regularly publishing death tolls during this time. Soch Fact Check has not independently verified the number of casualties reported by the Iranian and Israeli state.
The Israeli offensive occurred ahead of the nuclear talks which were scheduled to take place between the US and Iran on 15 June in Muscat, Oman. However, on 14 June, officials confirmed that the discussions between the two countries had been cancelled.
US strikes Iran
While the US initially distanced itself from this attack, calling Israel’s actions “unilateral”, US President Donald Trump later called the attack “excellent”. He asserted that more were to come unless Iran agrees to a deal with the US on its nuclear program. On 17 June, Trump warned Iranian citizens to “immediately evacuate” Tehran, and called for Iran’s “unconditional surrender” the following day. Trump said the US knew where Iran’s supreme leader was hiding, but did not want him killed “for now.”
On 18 June, Khamenei rejected Trump’s call for surrender, deemed it a threat and warned that any US “strikes on its territory” would have “serious irreparable consequences.”
On 21 June, the US joined the conflict by attacking three nuclear sites in Iran. The US pilots dropped 30,000 pound bunker buster bombs, supported by the Tomahawk missiles launched by the US submarines, targeting nuclear sites in Fordo, Isfahan, and Natanz.
“I am gravely alarmed by the use of force by the United States against Iran today,” said the UN Secretary-General António Guterres, and described the US attack as a “dangerous escalation.”
China, Russia, and Oman condemned the US attacks on Iran, while Japan and Italy called for de-escalation, and other countries urged restraint.
Iran responded by launching missiles at the US forces at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar on 23 June.
Soon after, the US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire between Iran and Israel. However, hours later, reports emerged that Israel and Iran continued to exchange attacks. Trump censured both countries for violating the agreement, “but reserved his harshest condemnation for Israel”. While addressing the media, the US President added that “Israel, as soon as we made the deal, they came out and they dropped a load of bombs, the likes of which I’ve never seen before.”
Fact or Fiction?
Reverse searching revealed that the video in the claim predates the Israel-Iran conflict.
A Facebook user “Desi Baba” posted a video (archive) on 7 May 2025, with a description that stated [translated from Urdu]: “Live, Captain. May Allah protect you. We are also awake alongside our army”. The caption likely links the footage to the recent India-Pakistan conflict and expresses support for the army, as it appeared during the conflict. This 25-second footage aligns with the video in the claim, confirming it appeared a month before and, therefore, is unrelated to the recent conflict.
It is also worth noting that the video in the claim is only 14 seconds long and appears to be a sped-up version of the Facebook video. It also features music that is not included in the Facebook post.
A reverse search also yielded the same video (archive) on TikTok, posted on 7 May 2025. This TikTok version additionally features a voiceover which refers to the India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025. The voiceover states: “Giving you big news. Pakistan has responded to India. The Indian media has claimed that Pakistani planes have entered the restricted Indian airspace. They have entered Jammu and Kashmir in the Naushera sector. Pakistan has given India a surprise. Pakistan has responded to India.”
While the caption of the Facebook post hints at it, the TikTok’s voiceover overtly links the footage to the India-Pakistan conflict in May 2025. However, Soch Fact Check could not verify if the video shows Pakistani aircraft or if it is related to the four-day military conflict between the two countries, which unfolded last month.
Nonetheless, the fact that the video predates the recent Israel-Iran conflict confirms that it is unrelated.
Virality
The X post garnered 1 million views and received 13,000 likes.
It also appeared on X here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
On YouTube, the footage appeared here.
On TikTok here.
On Facebook here and here. On Instagram here, here, here, and here.
Conclusion: The footage does not show Pakistan deploying its aircraft along the Iranian border during the Israel-Iran conflict. It predates the recent conflict and, therefore, is unrelated to it.
Correction: This article has been updated to mention that the US joined the Israel-Iran conflict on 21 June 2025 where it previously said 22 June 2025.
Background image in cover photo: Reuters
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