Year-old images of Huthi Red Sea strikes resurface after attack on Israeli-owned vessel

After Yemen's Huthi rebels claimed to have struck an Israeli-owned tanker in the Red Sea, images of burning vessels were shared in social media posts falsely claiming it showed the attack at the end of August 2025. The images in fact circulated in reports about Huthi attacks on shipping in the globally important waterway in August and October 2024.

"An incredible, unique operation by Yemen's Huthis against Israel," reads part of the lengthy Thai-language caption of a Facebook image shared on September 5, 2025.

"The Yemenis targeted an Israeli oil tanker from a range of 1,111 kilometres, accurately striking the targets in the Mediterranean Sea."

The image appears to show an explosion on the side of a ship.

A similar image of a ship on fire was shared on the same day on X with the Thai-language caption: "Urgent. Yemeni attack on a 'new ship' in the Red Sea with precise targeting, setting it ablaze."

The images surfaced after the Iran-backed rebels said on September 1 they had fired a missile at a tanker in the Red Sea, days after their prime minister was killed in an Israeli attack (archived link).

The Huthis, who control swathes of Yemen, have launched missiles and drones targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, saying they are acting in solidarity with Palestinians (archived link).

While the rebels said they scored a direct hit on the Liberian-flagged Scarlet Ray, the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said the attack missed the Israeli-owned ship.

The circulating images were also shared in similar Facebook, TikTok and X posts.

The images, however, show different vessels and previously circulated in reports about Huthi attacks on shipping in August and October 2024.

Attack on Cordelia Moon

A reverse image search on Google found the first picture was used in a report by the Reuters news agency published on February 7, 2025 (archived link).

The picture is a file photo credited to "Houthi Military Media", and is captioned: "The oil tanker Cordelia Moon bursts into flames after being hit by a missile in the Red Sea, off Yemen's Red Sea Port of Hodeida, in this screengrab from a video released on October 1, 2024."

Subsequent keyword searches led to the video posted on the website of the Yemeni Armed Forces -- which is affiliated with the Huthi rebels -- on October 3, 2024 (archived link).

The footage was also featured in a report by The Telegraph about the British oil tanker being struck by a Huthi drone boat (archived link).

Sounion fire

A combination of reverse image and keyword searches on Google found the second falsely shared image was used in a report by the Associated Press (AP) news agency on August 24, 2024 (archived link).

Its caption says the image is a screengrab from a video released by the media arm of the Huthi rebels on August 23, 2024, and "shows what the Huthis describe as one of their attacks on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the Red Sea."

The video of the attack was also posted on the Yemeni Armed Forces website (archived link).

The footage was also used on the website of NBC News, which reported: "The group claimed that the video showed the Greek-flagged Sounion and had been filmed on August 22" (archived link).

AFP has previously debunked other misinformation around Huthi attacks in the Red Sea.