FACT CHECK: Video Claims To Show USS Dwight D. Eisenhower On Fire

Elias Atienza | Senior Reporter

A video shared on X claims to show the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on fire after a Houthi strike.

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.

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)

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 vessel appears to have been sold to a Greek company called SeaJets in 2017, according to the War Zone.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter
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