A missile rises through the clouds and within seconds it crashes into the Statue of Liberty — its head replaced with that of Baal — shattering the symbol into pieces. This is the final moment of a viral AI-generated video now circulating online centred on retaliation against the Donald Trump administration. On X, news outlet RT citing Fars News posted the clip.
The video seems to piece together a story of long-standing anger, tying together past and present conflicts involving the US. Through different scenes, it shows several countries as having suffered from American military actions, before building up to a final, symbolic act of revenge.
SCENES TRACE CONFLICTS LINKED TO US ACTIONS
The video begins with scenes linked to indigenous lands in North America before shifting to Hiroshima, Japan, where a child stands among ruins, evoking the US nuclear bombing during World War II.
It then moves to Vietnam, showing a man standing in a smoke-filled field, pointing to US attacks during the war. The sequence continues in Yemen, with visuals of destruction and rising smoke, referencing US-backed military involvement.
In Gaza, a young girl stands in a refugee camp under dark skies, reflecting the ongoing conflict in Palestine, where the US remains a key ally of Israel. In each scene, the subjects look up at the sky.
The video then shifts to Epstein Island, showing a young girl near the private island of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The scene appears to reference controversies involving Donald Trump and several US elites, pointing to allegations that have drawn scrutiny over past links to disgraced financier.
MINAB SCHOOL STRIKE TO ALI KHAMENEI KILLING
The video then shifts to Minab in southern Iran, where a schoolgirl stands quietly in a courtyard with the national flag behind her. The moment feels calm at first, but it carries a heavier meaning, referencing a deadly strike on a girls’ school in the city during the ongoing conflict. US alleged attacked with Tomahawk missiles which killed over 160 girls.
The clip prominently features Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike in Baghdad in 2020. It is followed by visuals of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, shown looking towards the launch of a missile. Ali Khamenei was killed in a US-Israeli strike on February 28.
In its final moments, the video shows a missile launch, shifting to a point-of-view shot as it travels through clouds before striking the Statue of Liberty. The monument is altered, with its head replaced by that of Baal, a figure associated with false worship and power.
The statue is then destroyed on impact, completing the video’s central message of retaliation — framed as “one vengeance for all.”
In Biblical texts, Baal, an ancient deity, is portrayed negatively and linked to false worship and idolatry. Over time, the figure has come to symbolise rebellion against monotheistic belief systems, and in modern contexts, references to Baal are often used to evoke themes of power, corruption or moral conflict.
The imagery echoes earlier incidents in Iran, where a statue resembling Baal was set on fire during anniversary events linked to the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Visuals from Tehran’s Azadi Square had shown a bull-headed structure engulfed in flames, widely circulated in both Iranian and international media.
The conflict escalated further on Wednesday after Iran launched a cruise missile towards the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier. This could deal a setback to efforts aimed at easing tensions in the Middle East. Earlier, US President Donald Trump had said Iran was “talking sense,” signaling possible progress in talks.
