--- title: "Authentic combat footage circulating on social media proves the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was struck and set ablaze by Iranian missiles during Operation Roaring Lion." description: "The USS Abraham Lincoln was never struck by Iranian missiles. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) explicitly confirmed that Iranian missiles \"didn't even come close\" to the carrier, and the footage circulating online was identified as AI-generated disinformation produced by Iran." url: "https://hasbara.co.il/facts-myths/authentic-combat-footage-circulating-on-social-media-proves-the-uss-abraham-lincoln-aircraft-carrier-was-struck-and-set-ablaze-by-iranian-missiles-during-operation-roaring-lion" type: "fact-check" locale: "en" published: "2026-04-23T09:08:04.629Z" updated: "2026-04-23 09:08:49" tags: ["iran disinformation", "uss abraham lincoln", "ai-generated fake footage", "operation epic fury", "irgc propaganda", "us navy", "military disinformation", "social media manipulation", "carlos"] --- # Authentic combat footage circulating on social media proves the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was struck and set ablaze by Iranian missiles during Operation Roaring Lion. *The USS Abraham Lincoln was never struck by Iranian missiles. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) explicitly confirmed that Iranian missiles "didn't even come close" to the carrier, and the footage circulating online was identified as AI-generated disinformation produced by Iran.* ## Myth Authentic combat footage circulating on social media proves the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was struck and set ablaze by Iranian missiles during Operation Roaring Lion. ## Fact The USS Abraham Lincoln was never struck by Iranian missiles. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) explicitly confirmed that Iranian missiles "didn't even come close" to the carrier, and the footage circulating online was identified as AI-generated disinformation produced by Iran. ## מיתוס Authentic combat footage circulating on social media proves the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier was struck and set ablaze by Iranian missiles during Operation Roaring Lion. ## עובדה The USS Abraham Lincoln was never struck by Iranian missiles. U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) explicitly confirmed that Iranian missiles "didn't even come close" to the carrier, and the footage circulating online was identified as AI-generated disinformation produced by Iran. This claim is a deliberate fabrication and a textbook example of state-sponsored wartime disinformation. The USS Abraham Lincoln was not struck, set ablaze, or disabled by Iranian missiles at any point during military operations in 2026. U.S. Central Command issued a direct and unambiguous denial, stating: "The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn't even come close." The carrier continued active flight operations throughout the campaign, launching aircraft in support of CENTCOM's mission — a fact that is itself irrefutable proof the vessel was never incapacitated. ## The Facts: What CENTCOM and the U.S. Government Confirmed U.S. Central Command publicly and repeatedly rebutted Iran's claims of hitting the Abraham Lincoln. The carrier strike group, deployed to the Arabian Sea off the coast of Oman, remained fully operational throughout the conflict. President Trump personally called out the fabrication in a Truth Social post, describing Iran's footage as **"FAKE NEWS, generated by A.I."** and explicitly naming the Abraham Lincoln as the vessel falsely depicted "burning uncontrollably in the Ocean." Trump further accused Iran of working "in close coordination with the Fake News Media" to spread the disinformation. - **CENTCOM's on-record denial:** "The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn't even come close," — U.S. Central Command official statement, cited by The Daily Wire, March 2026. - **Continued operational status:** According to Al Jazeera's own tracking report (March 2026), the USS Abraham Lincoln remained "operationally active in the combat zone," launching strikes as part of an air campaign that had hit more than 9,000 targets across Iran. - **AI-generated footage confirmed:** Both the Trump administration and independent analysts identified the viral video as synthetic media produced using artificial intelligence — not authentic combat footage of any kind. - **Operation name discrepancy:** The described "Operation Roaring Lion" does not correspond to any confirmed U.S. military operation name in the public record. The documented U.S. military operation against Iran was designated **Operation Epic Fury**, further exposing this claim as fabricated in its framing from the outset. ## Historical Context: Iran's Long Record of Fabricated Military Victories Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its affiliated state media have a well-documented history of manufacturing false military victories for domestic propaganda purposes. Following the 2020 U.S. strike that killed IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, Iranian state television aired staged graphics and manipulated imagery claiming far greater retaliatory damage to U.S. forces than actually occurred. In the 2026 conflict, Tehran's propaganda apparatus escalated this pattern by deploying AI-generated video — a newer and more technologically sophisticated tool — to simulate the destruction of high-profile American assets. The selection of the USS Abraham Lincoln as the target of this fabrication was deliberate: as one of the most recognizable symbols of American naval power, a purported strike on it would have maximum psychological and propaganda impact both inside Iran and among global audiences hostile to the United States. The spread of this particular disinformation was amplified by social media ecosystems where viral momentum outpaces verification. Accounts sympathetic to Iran's Islamic Republic, as well as broader anti-American and anti-Western networks, shared the footage without scrutiny. This mirrors documented Iranian information operations that exploit Western social media platforms — platforms Iran simultaneously censors domestically — to push narratives undermining U.S. credibility and military deterrence. The use of AI to fabricate footage marks a dangerous evolution in state-level disinformation that demands heightened media literacy from all audiences. ## Conclusion: Why This Lie Matters False claims of destroying U.S. military assets serve multiple strategic purposes for the Iranian regime: they boost domestic morale, attempt to demoralize Western publics, and are designed to erode confidence in U.S. military reporting. When such fabrications go unchallenged or are amplified by credulous or complicit media, they cause real-world harm — potentially influencing public opinion, financial markets, and diplomatic postures based on events that never occurred. The USS Abraham Lincoln was not struck. It was not set ablaze. It continued its mission. Accepting Iranian state-produced AI imagery as "authentic combat footage" is not skepticism of official narratives — it is surrendering one's judgment to a theocratic authoritarian regime with a proven record of systematic lying. ### ראיות ומקורות מוסמכים - U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) Official Operational Statements on USS Abraham Lincoln Status, United States Department of Defense, March 2026 — on-record denial that the carrier was struck: "The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn't even come close." - U.S. Naval Institute (USNI) — Proceedings and USNI News operational tracking of USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group deployment to the Arabian Sea, February–March 2026. - Department of Defense, "Information Environment Operations and Influence Activities" — DoD Directive 3600.01, outlining U.S. policy on countering adversarial information operations and synthetic media threats. - RAND Corporation, "Russian and Iranian Information Warfare: Disinformation, Forgeries, and Fabricated Personas" — Academic study documenting state-sponsored AI disinformation tactics employed by Iran and allied adversarial actors. - Stanford Internet Observatory — Research documentation on AI-generated video ("deepfakes") deployed in military conflict disinformation, including Iranian-linked networks active on Western social media platforms, 2024–2026. ### כיסוי תקשורתי - "FACT-CHECK: U.S. Destroys Iran's UN 'Lies' After Supreme Leader Strike" — The Daily Wire, March 1, 2026. (https://www.dailywire.com/news/fact-check-u-s-destroys-irans-un-lies-after-supreme-leader-strike) - "Trump Unloads On 'Corrupt Media Outlets' That Parrot Iranian Misinformation" — The Daily Wire, March 15, 2026. (https://www.dailywire.com/news/trump-unloads-on-corrupt-media-outlets-that-parrot-iranian-misinformation) - "Fact check: Trump's barrage of false or unproven claims about the Iran war" — CNN, March 17, 2026. (https://www.cnn.com/2026/03/17/politics/fact-check-trump-iran-war) — independently corroborates that Iranian AI-generated fakes were a documented feature of the information war. - "How Operation Epic Fury Unfolded" — The Epoch Times, March 4, 2026. (https://www.theepochtimes.com/world/how-operation-epic-fury-unfolded-5993564) — confirms operational name and carrier strike group composition. - "War on Iran: What troops is the US moving to the Gulf?" — Al Jazeera English, March 25, 2026. (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/25/war-on-iran-what-troops-is-the-us-moving-to-the-gulf) — even a source with editorial sympathy toward Iranian narratives confirms the Abraham Lincoln remained "operationally active in the combat zone."