Video gameplay passed off as Red Sea combat footage

By: Nikolaj Kristensen
February 19 2024

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(Source: Facebook/Screenshots)

Context

A video clip purportedly showing attacks on U.S. and U.K. ships by Yemen's Houthi militia in the Red Sea is circulating on social media. 

The posts containing the video specifically mention attacks on the American ships "USS Labone" and the British "HMS Diamond."

Posts uploaded on February 7 and 8 said the attacks happened in "the last 24 hours." 

However, the video is not authentic footage of fighting in the Red Sea but footage of gameplay from the video game Arma 3 that was uploaded to YouTube in January. 

In fact

Conducting a reverse image search of the video's keyframes, we found other videos that appear similar, though not identical. These videos were described as video gameplay from Arma 3, a military video game, clips of which have been misattributed as footage of real-world conflicts on numerous occasions. We also found a YouTube video that appears to be the origin of the clips being passed off as authentic fighting in the Red Sea.  

The description of the video, uploaded on January 14, 2024, clearly states that it's "NOT Real footages, just Arma 3 gameplay." It further states that the video was created using content from Bohemia Interactive, the game developer of Arma 3. The video is titled "INSTANT REACTION FROM IRAN! Houthi Cruise Missile sinks US aircraft carrier near Yemen," which may have caused the confusion.   

Logically Facts has contacted Bohemia Interactive to confirm that the video is indeed Arma 3 gameplay. We will update this article if and when we receive an answer. 

The USS Laboon, not "Labone," is currently operating in the Red Sea. On January 14, 2024, a missile was fired from an area of Yemen controlled by the Houthis toward the ship, but the missile was shot down, and there were no injuries or damage reported, according to the U.S. Central Command. On February 6, 2024, the ship intercepted and shot down an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by the Houthis.

The HMS Diamond was, until recently, operating in the Red Sea. On February 6, 2024, it was reported to have been replaced by HMS Richmond to undergo maintenance and resupply. According to the British Royal Navy, the HMS Diamond had come under fire in three separate attacks by the Houthis.

The verdict

The video circulating is not authentic footage of Houthi attacks on American and British warships in the Red Sea. It is gameplay from the Arma 3 video game. Therefore, we have marked this claim as misleading.