A video has been circulating on Chinese-language posts that claim it shows an Israeli ship in the Red Sea being sunk by a Yemeni rebel group after ignoring warnings.
But the claim is false. The clip was in fact taken from a 2013 Norwegian navy video that shows a then-new anti-ship missile being tested on a decommissioned warship.
The video was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Dec. 24, 2023, alongside a caption that reads: "A new Israeli ship, sunk by the Houthis in the Red Sea after ignoring warnings and switching off identification devices."
The 11-second clip shows an explosion of a ship following an apparent attack.
The Houthis are a Zaidi Shia Muslim minority group based in Yemen, known primarily for leading a rebellion against the Yemeni government in a civil war there.
The group has recently carried out dozens of attacks on commercial vessels that they claim are linked to Israel, and that were passing through the 30 km (20 miles) wide Bab-el-Mandeb Strait. They are demanding that Israel halt its attacks on Gaza and permit the entry of humanitarian aid.
In response, a coalition led by the United States is attempting to thwart the Houthis by deploying destroyers and various military assets in the Red Sea, as well as intercepting the missiles and drones launched by the Yemeni group.
The identical video alongside similar claims have been shared on Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo and Bilibili.
But the claim is false. The footage is taken from a 2013 Norwegian navy video showing a then-new anti-ship missile being tested on a decommissioned warship.
Norwegian test in 2013
A reverse image search on Google found the identical clip published in a report on June 6, 2013, by Military.com, a website that provides news and information about the U.S. military.
“The Norwegian navy tests its new four-metre long, 880lb Naval Strike Missile by firing on one of its own ships, the KNM Trondheim, with spectacular results,” the report reads in part.
“Footage filmed from on board the KNM Trondheim shows the moment the subsonic missile smashed into the side of the ship exploding in a massive fireball,” it reads further.
The corresponding scene can be seen at the 36-second mark of the video.
Other global media outlets, including CNN, reported on the Norwegian test also using the same footage.
Misuse of the clip
AFCL has discovered that the footage has been frequently misappropriated by media outlets covering war-related topics.
For example, in April 2022, SBS, a South Korean broadcaster, used the clip while reporting on the Russo-Ukrainian war, alleging that it showed the sinking of the Russian cruiser Moskva.
A Delhi-based daily India Times pointed out in April, 2022, that pro-Kiev social media accounts had also misappropriated footage of the test as footage of the Moskva's sinking.
Translated by Shen Ke. Edited by Taejun Kang and Malcolm Foster.
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