FACT CHECK: Video Claims To Show USS Dwight D. Eisenhower On Fire
A video shared on X claims to show the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on fire after a Houthi strike.
Yemen atacó el portaviones Eisenhower. Se llevó a cabo con misiles de crucero balísticos y el impacto fue preciso y directo.
Aunque se difundió un video, EEUU mantiene silencio. Si se confirma, entonces los descalzos guerreros acertaron la mayor humillación a la potencia de papel pic.twitter.com/OH6ZLfr9Mw— Adel El Zabayar (@Zabayar) June 2, 2024
Verdict: False
The video shows the aftermath of a Houthi attack on a United Arab Emirates (UAE) naval vessel.
Fact Check:
Houthi rebels claimed to have targeted the Eisenhower a second time on June 1, according to Reuters. The rebels also claimed to have targeted an American destroyer and three other vessels, the outlet reported.
Social media users are sharing a video of a vessel on fire, claiming it shows the Eisenhower.
“Yemen attacked the aircraft carrier Eisenhower. It was carried out with ballistic cruise missiles and the impact was precise and direct. Although a video was released, the US remains silent. If confirmed, then the barefoot warriors achieved the greatest humiliation to the paper power,” one user wrote.
This claim, though, is false. Through a reverse image and keyword search, Check Your Fact found that the video likely shows the HSV Swift, a UAE vessel that was hit by the Houthis in October 2016, according to The Washington Post.
Seeing the news about Marlin Luanda burning, I recall this video from 2016
when AnsarAllah (“Houthis”) launched an operation and targeted a UAE-operated navy vessel with an anti-ship missile 🔥 pic.twitter.com/HcfK8ODCgU
— deeeeeee (@revolutionaryem) January 26, 2024
While this particular video was posted in January 2024, the video is similar to a video and images posted on X in October 2016 showing the Swift burning after it was hit by the Houthis. (RELATED: Was The USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Struck By Houthi Rebels)
#UAE Navy vessel HSV-2 Swift was targeted by Houthis anti-ship missile off the coast of #Yemen.
https://t.co/mBPzb1LOAZ pic.twitter.com/USKROYUwjp— Military Advisor (@miladvisor) October 1, 2016
Frmr #HSV #SWIFT survived the horrendous attack off Yemen – if not in very good condition. A tribute to aluminum construction? pic.twitter.com/AIhWUDzI82
— Chris Cavas (@CavasShips) October 5, 2016
A Department of Defense spokesperson told Check Your Fact that the Houthi claims about targeting the Eisenhower and hitting a destroyer were false. The Swift was not destroyed by the strikes, but heavily damaged, according to the Mercury.
Images of the Swift were taken on January 2021 and later shared on X, showcasing the damage done to the vessel.
The former HSV-2 Swift, laid up at Ampelakia, Salamina, Greece. In July 2015, the ship was leased by the #UAE National Marine Dredging Company & was used to carry aid through Bab Al Mandab strait. On 1 Oct 2016, the ship was attacked and damaged off the coast of Yemen by Houthis. pic.twitter.com/s5UVeg4bUF
— Naval Analyses (@D__Mitch) April 26, 2021
The vessel appears to have been sold to a Greek company called SeaJets in 2017, according to the War Zone.