Aerial footage of the aftermath of a deadly hurricane that battered the Mexican coastal city of Acapulco has been viewed tens of thousands of times in social media posts that falsely claimed it showed Tel Aviv, Israel, following a drone strike claimed by Houthi rebels. The video was filmed in October 2023, several months before the attack.
“Situation in Tel Aviv,” read the Indonesian text overlaid on a video shared on TikTok on July 22nd.
“Behold the state of Tel Aviv, a gift from Yemen hidden by the media.”
The footage, which has been viewed more than 128,000 times, shows aerial photographs of damaged ships washed ashore.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels claimed a drone attack on July 19 in Tel Aviv, which Israeli authorities said left one person dead.
Since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza on October 7, the Iran-backed Houthis have carried out dozens of drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in what they call an act of solidarity with the Palestinians.
The drone strike in Tel Aviv marked a “new phase” in their operations against Israel, the Houthis said.
The images were viewed thousands of times on the video platform SnackVideo here, here And here.
Some social media users appeared to believe the footage showed the aftermath of the attack in Tel Aviv.
“I trust Yemen, they are tough and great fighters,” said one user.
“Bravo Yemen,” another user responded.
Hurricane Otis
How to Search for a Reverse Image on Google found it a longer version of the footage posted on X by Mexican journalist Manuel Lopez San Martin on October 27, 2023 (archived here).
The X-post described in detail the devastation caused by Hurricane Otiswhich struck Acapulco, Mexico that month, killing 51 people.
Below is a screenshot of the video that was mistakenly shared on TikTok (left) and posted in Manuel Lopez San Martin’s X-post (right):
AFP confirmed that the video was filmed in Acapulco by comparing it to Google StreetView of the city, highlighting features such as a Walmart store and a high-rise apartment building (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 previously fact-checked misinformation about the Houthi rebels in Yemen here And here.
