A missile flies over the sea just before the scene is completely shrouded in the darkness of night. After passing several ships, he hits one. This is what we can see in a viral video currently circulating on social networks. Those sharing it say it is a resumption of a Houthi attack that hit four ships, including the US Navy's USS Laboon – incorrectly transliterated Labone. In reality, the video does not show a real Houthi attack, but is taken from a video game.
For those in a hurry:
- A video is circulating that appears to show a Houthi missile hitting the US ship Laboon.
- The video is actually taken from a video game.
- The cruiser Laboon was indeed hit by a Houthi missile on January 14.
Analyzes
Let's see a screenshot of one of the messages being checked (here's a similar one). The description of the first reads:
Over the past 24 hours, a naval battle took place in the Red Sea in which four ships, including the US Navy's USS Labone, were attacked with ballistic missiles by the Houthis.
While in that of the second:
NAVAL BATTLE IN RED SEA The Red Sea has been the scene of a naval battle over the past 24 hours, with four ships, including the US Navy's USS Labone, hit by Houthi ballistic missile attacks. The British warship HMS Diamond was badly damaged by the Houthis and recalled for repairs.
The video, however, does not show a real event, but rather a scene from a video game. The full video is available on YouTube – the part shared on social networks occurs after 7′ 17” – where we learn, from the description, that it was created and published on January 14, 2024, “using the content from Bohemia Interactive as “. The latter is an independent studio which produces several video games, including ArmA III, the one from 2013 which gave rise to the distribution of content in a misleading manner. Having clarified this point, the cruiser Laboon was in fact hit by a Houthi missile on January 14, as reported. P.A.after the ship shot down drones controlled by Yemeni rebels.
Conclusions
A video is circulating that appears to show a Houthi missile hitting the US ship Laboon. The video is actually taken from a video game. The cruiser Laboon was indeed hit by a Houthi missile on January 14.
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