Aerial footage of the aftermath of a deadly hurricane that hit the coastal city of Acapulco, Mexico, was seen tens of thousands of times in social media posts that falsely claimed to show Tel Aviv, Israel, following a drone strike claimed by rebels Huthi. The video was filmed in October 2023, several months before the attack.
“Situation in Tel Aviv,” read text in Indonesian overlaid on a video shared on TikTok on July 22nd.
“See the state of Tel Aviv, a gift from Yemen hidden by the media.”
The footage, which has received more than 128,000 views, shows an aerial view of damaged ships that have washed ashore.
Yemen’s Huthi rebels claimed a July 19 drone strike in Tel Aviv that Israeli authorities said left one person dead.
Since the Israel-Hamas war broke out in Gaza on October 7, the Iran-backed Huthis have carried out dozens of drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in what they say is an act of solidarity. with the Palestinians.
The Tel Aviv drone attack marked a “new phase” in their operations against Israel, the Huthis said.
The footage racked up thousands of views on video-sharing platform SnackVideo here, here It is here.
Some social media users appeared to believe the images showed the aftermath of the Tel Aviv attack.
“I trust Yemen, they are tough and great fighters,” said one user.
“Bravo Yemen,” commented another user.
Hurricane Otis
A reverse image search on Google found a longer version of the footage posted to X by Mexican journalist Manuel Lopez San Martin on October 27, 2023 (archived here).
Post X detailed the devastation caused by Hurricane Otiswhich left 51 people dead when it hit Acapulco, Mexico, that month.
Below is a screenshot comparison of the video falsely shared on TikTok (left) and Manuel Lopez San Martin’s X post (right):
AFP confirmed that the video was filmed in Acapulco, comparing it to Google Street View of the city, choosing features like a Walmart store and a tower block (archived link).
At another point in the video, a swimming pool and a lighthouse can be seen, which correspond to Google Earth images from Acapulco (archived link).
AFP has already verified false information about Yemen’s Huthi rebels here It is here.
