This Video Does Not Feature Yemeni Forces Striking a U.S. Aircraft Carrier in the Red Sea

Mibsar investigated the circulating footage and found the claim to be misleading.

After conducting a thorough reverse image search, Misbar’s team found the video making the rounds to be old and unrelated to the recent U.S. and British tensions with Yemen.

Outdated Video Shows Missiles Explode Over German Frigate

Contrary to the viral claim, the video has nothing to do with Yemen. Instead, the video is outdated and features the aftermath of a missile explosion on a German frigate during a training exercise off the coast of Norway.

The U.S. Naval Institute uploaded the original video to a published article on June 27, 2018. The article’s title reads, “Missile Explodes During German Frigate Training Exercise; Incident Similar to 2015 U.S. Navy Explosion.”

According to the article, the FGS Sachsen (F 219) was operating alongside the FGS Lübeck (F 214) near the Arctic Circle when it attempted to fire a Standard Missile (SM) 2 Block IIIA during an exercise. The footage, presumably captured from Lübeck, captures an explosion occurring just after the missile departs the vertical launch cell of the warship. 

The explosion resulted in a shower of sparks and debris raining down onto the frigate. Two German sailors sustained minor injuries in the incident. 

In addition, the same video was uploaded to YouTube on the same date by the institute channel.

The incident is similar to a 2015 missile explosion involving the U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG-68) during a training exercise off the coast of Virginia. On July 18, a similar SM-2 Block IIIA missile exploded shortly after launch from the destroyer, resulting in no injuries and causing approximately $100,000 in damage to the ship.

 Yemen 'Attacks' U.S. Carrier Following Deadly Strikes

Yemen’s Houthi forces claim to have launched a missile attack on a United States aircraft carrier in the Red Sea in retaliation for deadly U.S. and British strikes on Yemen.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree announced the attack on the USS Eisenhower on Friday. The group had earlier reported that at least 16 people were killed in U.S. and U.K. assaults on Hodeidah province, marking the highest death toll from multiple rounds of strikes. A video broadcast on Al Masirah television shows wounded civilians being treated in Hodeidah. Reports indicate that at least 42 people were injured.

“The American-British aggression will not prevent us from continuing our military operations in support of Palestine,” Houthi official Mohammed al-Bukhaiti stated on Twitter, warning that the rebels would meet escalation with escalation.

U.S-U.K Statements on Airstrikes Against Yemeni Targets

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) announced on Twitter that attacks against 13 Houthi targets had successfully destroyed eight uncrewed aerial vehicles (drones) in Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen and over the Red Sea.

In a press release, the U.K. government confirmed that the British forces participated in a joint operation with U.S. forces against Houthi military facilities to degrade their capability to continue attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. 

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