No, this video does not show Houthi rebels attacking a Norwegian or Israeli ship

By: Christian Haag
December 13 2023

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Source: Instagram/Screenshot/Edited by Logically Facts

Context

Posts circulating on social media showing a video of a large explosion filmed at night claim it shows Houthi rebels attacking a ship in the Red Sea. The ship has been claimed to be both a Norwegian and Israeli vessel en route to Israel. 

On X (formerly Twitter), the video was shared by several prominent accounts that regularly spread misinformation, such as Sarah Wilkinson, Mario Nawfal, and Sputnik International. Mint Press News shared the claim on Instagram, and the video has also been shared on TikTok, as seen here and here. However, the video is not related to current events. 

In fact

The video is from 2016 and not related to current events. It instead shows an attack on HSV-2 Swift on October 1, 2016, in the Red Sea by Houthi rebels. The United Arab Emirates operated the catamaran-hybrid as a logistics vessel. 

Closer inspection of the X post showed replies by Tal Hagin, a media analyst, who commented that the video was from 2016 and depicted an attack on a ship belonging to the United Arab Emirates. 

Tal Hagin's comment on one of the posts disseminating the claim. (Source: X)

Logically Facts used this information and keywords to investigate further, leading us to an article written by the Washington Post in 2016, which included the same footage but in a higher resolution. The Washington Post writes that it shows a missile attack launched by Houthi rebels at the catamaran-style vessel operated by the United Arab Emirates.

An image comparison shows a correlation between the viral video and the higher-resolution video published by the Washington Post. The sound is also the same, with a man clearly shouting “Allahu Akbar” in both videos. It is also noticeable that the viral video has been cropped.

Keyframes from the viral video in 2023 and original footage from 2016. Source: Twitter and Washinton Post/Screenshots/Edited by Logically Facts. 

Keyframes from the viral video in 2023 and original footage from 2016. Source: Twitter and Washinton Post/Screenshots/Edited by Logically Facts. 

The video is credited to a YouTube channel called “War media Yemen,” but Logically Facts has been unable to locate the original. A reverse image search using Google Lens of the first keyframes of the video in the Washinton Post article reveals several articles and posts of the video and related images since 2016. 

On December 12, 2023, Houthi rebels took responsibility for the attack on MK Strinda, a Norwegian commercial tanker, in the Bab El Mandeb strait. A Houthi spokesperson claimed that the tanker was delivering crude oil to Israel and ignored their warnings. The tanker's owner, Norway Mowinkel Chemical Tankers, told Reuters that the ship was carrying palm oil en route to Italy for biofuels. They had no intention of docking in Israel. Reuters also writes that according to the ship-tracking firm Kpler, Strinda was carrying vegetable oils and biofuels from Malaysia to Venice, confirming the owner's assessment.

Houthi spokesmen have stated that they will continue to block and target all ships heading to Israeli ports until food and medical aid are allowed to enter Gaza. The Houthis have fired upon and seized several ships linked to Israel during December, as well as firing ballistic missiles and armed drones at Israel.

While Mario Nawfal initially claimed that the footage showed the attack on the Norwegian tanker, he edited his post after Hagin pointed out the error and wrote that the video was going viral without being related to current events. 

The verdict

The viral footage is from an attack on the logistics vehicle HSV-2 Swift by Houthi rebels in 2016 and is not related to current events. Therefore we have marked this claim as false.