FACT CHECK: No, Video Does Not Show Unity Explorer After It Was Hit
A video shared on X, formerly Twitter, claims to show the Unity Explorer after it was hit by the Houthis.
Ansarullah Yaman membom kapal kargo Israel “Unity Explorer” Kapal militer Amerika yang mencoba menyelamatkan kapal kargo Israel Unity Explorer, yang kini tenggelam di Laut Merah. pic.twitter.com/J1Drv2BQoW
— SW News – SOFT WAR NEWS (@SoftWarNews) December 4, 2023
Verdict: False
The video is from 2021 and was likely taken off the coast of Sri Lanka. It was not by the Houthis.
Fact Check:
Multiple commercial ships were attacked in the Rea Sea Dec. 3, according to Reuters. One of the ships, the Unity Explorer, was struck by the Houthis and suffered minor damage, the outlet reported.
Social media users are sharing a video claiming to show the Unity Explorer on fire. One social media user wrote, “Yemeni Ansarullah bombed the Israeli cargo ship ‘Unity Explorer'” American military ship trying to save the Israeli cargo ship Unity Explorer, which is now sinking in the Red Sea.”
This video, however, is not from the recent attacks. Through a reverse image search, Check Your Fact found that the video was taken in May 2021. It was shared on X by the Daily Mirror, a Sri Lankan media outlet.
Debris washes ashore at Negombo from the burning X-Press Pearl ship.#SLnews #SriLanka pic.twitter.com/ir1jSrNZeI
— DailyMirror (@Dailymirror_SL) May 26, 2021
Debris washes ashore at Negombo from the burning X-Press Pearl ship. #SLnews #SriLanka,” the tweet reads. (RELATED: Claims Of Mass IDF Casualties Lack Evidence)
The X-Press Pearl ship caught fire off the coast of Sri Lanka in May 2021, according to BBC News. The ship was carrying chemicals and caused an environmental disaster, the outlet reported.
