Claim: A picture shows a US-flagged ship that was attacked by Yemen’s Houthis in July 2024.
Fact: The picture does not depict a US-flagged ship. In fact, it is an old image of the Kharg, an Iranian navy vessel, that sank after catching fire in June 2021.
On 9 July 2024, X (formerly Twitter) account @MOSSADil posted (archive) an image of a burning ship, allegedly showing an American vessel that was attacked in the Gulf of Aden, towards the south of Yemen and north of Somalia.
The accompanying caption reads:
“Reports of a ship with a US flag targeted in the gulf of Aden”
This is not the first time that @MOSSADil has published a false claim. In November 2023, Soch Fact Check debunked a video it claimed showed a cleric sexually abusing a student in Palestine.
Houthi attacks on ships
The Associated Press reported on 10 July 2024 that a US-flagged ship in the Bab al-Mandab Strait — a narrow waterway that separates Yemen and East Africa and links Europe and Asia — was targeted allegedly by Yemen’s Houthi rebels. The attack marked the resumption of similar assaults that started in November 2023 but paused for nearly 10 days.
On 10 July, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) posted an update on its X account, writing that it “has received a report of an incident 40NM south of Al Mukha, Yemen”, with the shipmaster saying the “vessel and all crew are safe” and they were “proceeding to its next port of call” after “an explosion in close proximity”.
Read more: Video does not show US chopper thwarting Houthi attack
A day prior, the UKMTO provided an update on another incident — this time “180NM east of Nishtun, Yemen” — and wrote, “The Master of a merchant vessel reports an explosion in close proximity to the vessel, vessel and all crew are safe. The vessel is proceeding to its next port of call.”
The Houthis said on Tuesday, 9 July, that they fired missiles at a US-flagged ship in the Gulf of Aden, according to the report by The Associated Press. The Joint Maritime Information Center “identified the ship as the Maersk Sentosa”, it mentioned, adding that the logistics company confirmed the attack and subsequent developments.
Also read: Another old image passed off as Houthi attack on ship in Red Sea
Since November 2023, multiple cargo ships, including those carrying oil, have been attacked by Houthis in the Bab al-Mandab Strait, from which “an estimated 10% of the world’s trade passes [through]”, as per a December 2023 report (archive) by The Washington Post.
In another report (archive), the publication quoted Houthi ruling council member Mohammed Albukhaiti as saying, “Our war is a moral war, and therefore, no matter how many alliances America mobilizes, our military operations will not stop. Participating in a coalition to protect the perpetrators of genocidal crimes is a disgrace in the history of the participating countries.”
Albukhaiti made this statement in light of Israel’s war in Gaza.
Related: Does this viral clip show Israel-bound cargo ship after attack by Yemen’s Houthis?
On 12 January 2024, the US and UK retaliated against the Houthis and their Red Sea shipping route attacks by sending their warplanes, ships, and submarines, which “launched dozens of air strikes [across Yemen]”, Reuters reported (archive). US President Joe Biden, White House, and the Pentagon also issued comments in this regard.
On 17 January 2024, the US redesignated the Houthis as an SDGT. “The Department of State today is announcing the designation of Ansarallah, commonly referred to as the Houthis, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist group, effective 30 days from today,” it said (archive) in a press release.
Fact or Fiction?
A reverse-image search led us to an article by The Express Tribune from three years ago. Titled “Iran’s biggest navy ship sinks after fire in Gulf of Oman” and dated 2 June 2021, the piece is sourced from Reuters.
Reuters, too, carries the same picture as the one we’re investigating. The accompanying caption reads, “Smoke rises from Iran navy’s largest ship in Jask port in the Gulf, Iran, June 2, 2021. WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS.”
Reports from other major news outlets — including The Associated Press, CNN, and Daily Mail‘s website, MailOnline — corroborate the same incident. The Telegraph also carried a video of the said ship.
Therefore, Soch Fact Check concludes that while a US-flagged ship was recently attacked by the Houthis, the image in the viral post is old and unrelated.
Virality
The post by @MOSSADil has garnered more than 40,800 views as of writing time. It was also shared here and here.
Read more: Image does not show attack on Israeli cargo ship in 2023
The image was shared with the misleading claim on Facebook here and here.
On 9 June 2024, Bayan News also included the same visual in an unrelated report.
Conclusion: A post claiming to show an image of a US-flagged ship attacked by Yemen’s Houthis in July 2024, is misleading. The picture is neither recent nor does it show an American vessel . It depicts the Kharg, an Iranian navy vessel, that sank in June 2021.
Background image in cover photo: Shaah Shahidh
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