Disinformation campaign uses fake footage to claim attack on USS Eisenhower

False allegations of missile attack by Yemen Houthi rebels against an American aircraft carrier in the Red Sea over the weekend were followed by a flood of doctored images and fake videos online, which were amplified by pro-China and pro-Russia social media accounts.

The US Navy said there is no truth to messages claiming the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower was seriously damaged or possibly sunk.

“USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) remains in the U.S. Central Command region. Sailors and the ship are ready and positioned to respond to any contingency at any time,” a Navy spokesperson told CBS News on Tuesday. “We are committed to protecting freedom of navigation and trade in the region alongside our partners and allies.”

On Friday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced missile attacks on Eisenhower in response to US support for Israel in its fight against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. Shortly thereafter, videos and images falsely showing the Eisenhower under attack and damaged in port racked up millions of views on social media platforms.

Captain Chris “Chowdah” Hill, commander of the Eisenhower, was posting photographs to social media showing him visiting the ship’s bakery while the ship was reportedly badly damaged or sunk. In X, the former Top Gun instructor he said joking, “I think we’ve only been sunk twice this year.”

More than 5,000 American military personnel serving on the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that was deployed to the region after the Hamas attacks on October 7 in southern Israel. The Eisenhower and her flotilla of supporting warships constitute the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier StrikeGroup.

Since October, the group of carriers has been involved in safeguarding critical sea lanes from Houthi forces who continue to launch attacks against commercial ships.

Several users on X, formerly Twitter, linked the alleged footage of the attack on Arma 3, a popular military video game developed by Czech Republic-based Bohemia Interactive. Images from the Arma 3 game have already been used to spread disinformation about conflicts.

A CBS News analysis found that recordings of the game spread quickly across Chinese and Russian social media sites after they were published by Russian disinformation sites including The Intel Drop and the Pravda networkand several influential Chinese bloggers on Weibo.

When asked about the recent use of in-game footage to depict the alleged attack on Eisenhower, Bohemia Interactive public relations manager Pavel Křižka told CBS News: “We have been trying to fight this type of content by flagging these videos to video providers. platform, but to be honest it’s very ineffective. With every video flagged, unmasked or removed, ten more can be uploaded each day.”

He added: “We have found that the best way to resolve this is to actively cooperate with mainstream media outlets and fact-checkers. Sometimes it’s great to see Arma 3 players and members of our community actively helping to debunk these videos in the comments sections – pointing out that the footage is actually fake.”

Doctored satellite images of the damaged Eisenhower also quickly circulated on social media, showing the ship with a large explosion on its bow. X users used the platform’s Community Notes feature to also point out edited photos originated from a Google satellite image of the ship docked at Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia, and the “explosion” was digitally edited onto the ship from a Shutterstock image.

“The Houthis control more than half of the country in Yemen, including military equipment. However, they are not recognized by most nations as the legitimate government,” Alex Plitsas, a nonresident fellow at the Atlantic Council, told CBS News.

He added: “Their attacks against Israel, U.S. and allied ships, and propaganda alleging false attacks are all designed to give them recognition and legitimacy as a power on the world stage.”