Did Japan warn that Israel was planning to 'nuke' 2 US cities and blame Iran?

The rumor originated from a website with a history of sharing misinformation. A fake CNN headline helped spread it further. Published Nov. 13, 2026 Claim: In November, Japan warned that Israel was planning to "detonate dirty bombs" in two U.S. cities before Christmas and blame the attacks on Iran. Rating: In early November, social media users shared a claim that Japanese intelligence uncovered an Israeli plot to detonate radioactive "dirty bombs" in two American cities before Christmas. Some posts claimed Iran would be blamed for the attacks and that the Pentagon was involved in the supposed operation. For instance, one Facebook post (archived) claimed: This is very serious news coming in. Japan warns an Israeli intelligence is planning to detonate dirty bombs in two American cities before Christmas, with the attacks supposedly being blamed on Iran. The viral reports claim Japanese intelligence uncovered the alleged plot, with further accusations involving the Pentagon, America's power grid and a secret plan to reshape the world order. Spread the word and follow for more. Similar claims circulated on Instagram and X. We also received reader inquiries asking whether the supposed warning was real. But we found no credible evidence that Japan ever issued such a warning or that Israel was planning the alleged attacks. A warning of this scale would likely receive widespread news coverage, but we found no such reports. The claim appeared to come from The People's Voice, a website with a history of spreading false information. Japan did urge its citizens to prepare for emergencies in early November, but the announcement concerned natural disasters, including major earthquakes — not attacks on U.S. cities. Snopes contacted the Japanese Embassy, CNN and The People's Voice for comment. We also reached out to the Pentagon, which told us, "We don't have a comment to provide." How the rumor spread One Facebook page sharing the rumor was called "The Pentagram" and described itself as: Pentagon News | Strategic, Global, Unbiased. We navigate the complex landscape of global events, defense, politics, and breaking news to bring you the facts that matter. 5 sides to every story, one trusted source. (The Pentagram Facebook page) However, despite its name, the page was not affiliated with the Department of Defense. The post featured what appeared to be a CNN headline attributed to journalist Lauren Kent, reading, "Japan warns an Israeli intelligence is planning to detonate dirty bombs in two American cities before Christmas." However, we did not find any such article on CNN's website. A Google search for the headline returned solely social media posts repeating the allegation, and the purported article did not appear on Kent's CNN author page. We traced the rumor to a Nov. 1 article published by The People's Voice, titled "Japan Warns Israel Planning to 'Nuke 2 American Cities' Before Christmas." The website, formerly known as NewsPunch, has a long history of publishing false information. Over the years, fact-checkers have repeatedly debunked claims published by the outlet. The article began: This is an emergency broadcast. Japanese intelligence has issued an urgent warning to the West… and we need to listen. Israel is planning to destroy two American cities with devastating radioactive dirty bombs. Tens of millions dead within minutes. Millions more lives shattered in the blast zone. The toxic radioactive cloud will spread across the country, across the world, leaving nothing but devastation in its wake. And as the global order crumbles, the nations will regroup under one government. The New World Order will be born from the ashes. According to Japanese intelligence, the plan is already in motion. And the worst part? The US military is part of the plan. The moment the US military merged with the IDF—that was the moment the false flag was finalised. Now, Israeli citizens are being told to leave the US. It's not coming. It's here. "Last week, the Japanese government issued an urgent nationwide emergency request, urging citizens to stockpile survival essentials. Then, highly placed Japanese intelligence agents blew the whistle, revealing that Israel is preparing to attack two American cities with radioactive dirty bombs," it further claimed. But the article didn't provide any evidence to support its claims. It did not name any Japanese intelligence officials who supposedly uncovered the plot or provide any verifiable information. The article's description of dirty bombs was also misleading. According to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, dirty bombs combine "a conventional explosive, such as dynamite, with radioactive material." They do not cause nuclear explosions or mass destruction as described in the article. Moreover, next to the dramatic warnings of a supposedly planned attack, the article promoted a VPN service, claiming it could protect users from Israeli surveillance: But first, ask yourself: how do you survive the chaos they intentionally create? For me, there's only one option — stand and fight, for freedom and liberty. And to do that, you have to protect yourself by removing yourself from their battlefield. I protect myself with the only VPN that hasn't been infiltrated by Israel, with next gen privacy tech that makes it mathematically impossible for them to spy on me. It's a life saver, literally, and I recommend it to every one of you. Do yourself a solid. Check out [URL]. The allegations were later repeated in an X post by Sean Adl-Tabatabai, the founder of The People's Voice. What did Japan actually warn about? Around the time the rumor began spreading, the Japanese government did issue a real warning urging people to prepare for emergencies. On Nov. 2, Japan's newly established National Disaster Management Agency issued a request urging residents to prepare for natural disasters: (bousai.go.jp) The announcement didn't mention Israel or any planned attacks on the United States. Moreover, during an Oct. 30 news conference, Japan's disaster management minister, Goshi Hosono, addressed rumors that the government knew of an upcoming war or another major crisis. He said this was not the case and explained that the warning was simply meant to encourage people to prepare for natural disasters. All in all, the rumor had no credible evidence supporting it, but its alarming claims could easily raise unfounded concerns. That's why it's important to check the source of such stories before sharing them with others. Sources AFP. "World Economic Forum Did Not Ban Natural Conception." Fact Check, 19 July 2023, factcheck.afp.com/doc.afp.com.33PD6PL. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026."Backgrounder on Dirty Bombs | Nuclear Regulatory Commission." Nrc.Gov, 2022, www.nrc.gov/regulations-legislation/fact-sheets-brochures/backgrounder-on-dirty-bombs. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.Baxter Dmitry. "Japan Warns Israel Planning to 'Nuke 2 American Cities' Before Christmas." The People's Voice, Nov. 2026, thepeoplesvoice.tv/japan-warns-israel-planning-to-nuke-2-american-cities-before-christmas/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.Binder, Matt. "Fake News Sites Are Simply Changing Their Domain Name to Get Around Facebook Fact-Checkers." Mashable, 31 Jan. 2019, mashable.com/article/yournewswire-news-punch-domain-facebook-fake-news. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.Godwin, Richard. "Sean Adl-Tabatabai on Being in the Eye of the 'Fake News' Storm." Evening Standard, 16 Feb. 2017, web.archive.org/web/20180816184839/https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/sean-adltabatabai-on-being-in-the-eye-of-the-fake-news-storm-a3468361.html. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.Reuters Staff. "Fact Check: WHO Did Not Say Governments Must Cancel Elections Due to Bird Flu." Reuters, 10 July 2024, www.reuters.com/fact-check/who-did-not-say-governments-must-cancel-elections-due-bird-flu-2024-07-10/. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.Sean, Tpv. "Japan Warns Israel Planning to 'Nuke 2 American Cities' Before ChristmasJapanese Intelligence Has Issued an Urgent Warning to the West." X, 1 Nov. 2026, x.com/tpvsean/status/2116962446606737574. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.Updated 9:55 AM EDT, Thu. "Lauren Kent - Senior News Desk Reporter | CNN." CNN, web.archive.org/web/20261111101724/https://www.cnn.com/profiles/lauren-kent. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026."事前防災徹底のための緊急要請 | 防災庁." Bousai.Go.Jp, 2 Nov. 2026, www.bousai.go.jp/juyou/emergency_request.html. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.内閣府. "細野復興大臣・内閣府特命担当大臣記者会見要旨." 内閣府, 30 Oct. 2026, www.cao.go.jp/minister/2609_g_hosono/kaiken/20261030kaiken.html. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026. By Aleksandra Śliż-Wrona Aleksandra Śliż-Wrona is a reporting fellow for Snopes, based in the Warsaw, Poland, area. Article Tags