This Video Does Not Show The Bombing Of An Israeli Ship By Houthis
The Claim
A video shows houthis attacking an Israeli ship.
News posted on
Emerging story
In light of the tension in the Red Sea between Houthis and Israel, a video of a vessel on fire and apparently sinking went viral on X. Users claimed that the video shows an Israeli ship in the sea being bombed and drowned by Houthis.
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar investigated the viral video and found it to be misleading and has no relation to the attacks of Houthis on Israeli ships in the Red Sea.
The video dates back to Feb 2022, and it shows an oil vessel used for storage.
An Old Oil Tanker Exploded Off The Coast Of Nigeria
Following a thorough reverse image search, Misbar found that the vessel shown in the viral video was the Trinity Spirit oil tanker.
The viral video was uploaded 2 years ago before the Red Sea crisis began.
The vessel, which belonged to Shebah Exploration & Production Company Ltd, exploded off the coast of Nigeria in February 2022.
According to Reuters’s report, the Spirit Trinity had not been maintained for some time and had technical issues. Nnimmo Bassey, from Health of Mother Foundation, which tracks oil spills in Nigeria, said that “the vessel had outlived its lifespan of 20 years and had outlived its lifespan of 20 years, should have been decommissioned, and was not supposed to carry any crude.”
Houthis Are Suspected In Attacking A Ship Off Yemen
On Friday, authorities said that a Liberian-flagged oil tanker was targeted by four attacks in the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The four attacks are suspected to be from Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
However, the Houthis did not claim the attacks.
The attacks happened approximately 225 kilometers southeast of Aden in a stretch of the Gulf of Aden which is an area witnessing high Houthi activities.
Houthis Continue Their Attacks After A Recent Pause
The Houthis have been on pause since Israel responded to their attack on July 19 in which they killed one person and wounded 10 in Tel Aviv. The Israeli retaliation came the next day of the Houthis’ attack, hitting fuel depots and electrical stations. Six Yemeni people were killed and 87 wounded, many with severe burns as a result of the Israeli strikes, according to the Ministry of Health.
The pause continued for two weeks and was resumed recently following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran.
“The operations are ongoing. Our operations toward occupied Palestine to target the Israeli enemy, our operations at sea, the inevitable forthcoming response, as well as coordination with the axis in any joint operations,” warned the Houthi’s secretive leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, in a speech Thursday.
The Houthis have targeted more than 70 vessels with missiles and drones since the start of the Gaza war. They have seized one vessel and sunk two.
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