Fact Check: Explosive Photos Attributed to U.S. Airstrikes in Yemen

Airstrikes by the U.S. and U.K. against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have been met with pushback via several protests, with President Joe Biden facing criticism, even from within his party, for not seeking Congress' approval first.

The strikes followed "ongoing and escalating Houthi attacks" against commercial ships in the Red Sea, with intentions "aimed specifically to disrupt and degrade Houthi capabilities to threaten global trade and freedom of navigation in one of the world's most critical waterways," according to a senior Biden administration official.

Now, photos of fiery explosions and scenes, attributed to the airstrikes, have spread on social media.

The Claim

A post on X, formerly Twitter, by account Visegrad 24, on January 12, 2024, showed a side-by-side image of a photo taken from footage of a Houthi raid in the Red Sea, and an explosion. A caption beside it said "HOW IT STARTED...HOW IT'S GOING."

Visegrad 24 posted "Did the Houthis really think this through?"

Another two posts on X by users HananyaNaftali and its_yemen both included the same photo of a fiery scene, both implying they were photos of the airstrikes in Yemen.

The post by its_yemen included another photo and a message which translated as "One picture is from Gaza and the other is from Yemen, We share your pain,You are not and will not be alone."

The Facts

None of the images shared above are of the airstrikes in Yemen.

The photo of the explosion posted by Visegrad 24, an account known for repeatedly posting misleading information on global affairs, is nearly nine years old and was shot in China.

The photo was republished from social media following an explosion at a warehouse in the northeastern Chinese port city of Tianjin, Voice of America reported in August 2015. A 2022 paper published in Loss Prevention Bulletin stated 173 people were killed in the explosion, caused in part by the mishandling and incorrect storage of combustible chemicals.

The photo posted by HananyaNaftali and its_yemen are of a fire that broke out at a Jeddah oil depot ahead of the 2022 Saudi Arabia Grand Prix; the image was taken by Reuters. Ironically, Yemen's Houthi rebels were the ones who claimed responsibility for the fire in Jeddah

As reported by multiple news outlets at the time, the attack took place on Friday, March 25, 2022, with Houthi spokespeople reporting it had launched missiles against Aramco facilities and drones toward refineries.

Bogus or unverified footage and photography are commonly used by misinformation actors on social media, particularly during global military operations that attract significant media attention.

Multiple clips from video games have been used to support false claims about the war between Israel and Hamas, while misattributed images and films have been frequently shared in conflicts across the globe including the war in Ukraine.

The Ruling

False.

The photos that were shared on X are not of the U.S. airstrikes in Yemen. One of the photos was from a chemical explosion in Tianjin, China, in 2015, and the other from a petroleum storage fire in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, in 2022. Houthi rebels claimed responsibility for the fire in Jeddah.

FACT CHECK BY NEWSWEEK