Picture shows Israel's 2018 Gaza attack, not aftermath of US strike in Yemen

"Americans bombarded Yemen in reprisal after Yemen launched an attack on Israel's capital," read a Thai-language Facebook post on December 22, 2024.

It included a picture showing smoke billowing from a massive fire in a city at night.

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Screenshot of the false Facebook post, taken on December 24, 2024

The post surfaced as the United States said it struck targets in Yemen, hours after a Huthi rebel missile wounded people in Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv (archived link).

US forces also shot down multiple Huthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.

American and British forces have repeatedly struck rebel targets in Yemen this year in response to Huthi attacks on shipping in Red Sea-area waters vital to global trade.

The Huthis have launched dozens of strikes targeting Israel in support of their Palestinian allies Hamas since their October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.

The picture was shared alongside similar false claims in posts written in Thai and English.

But a reverse image search on Google found the same picture published by photo agency Getty Images on November 12, 2018 (archived link).

Its caption read: "GAZA CITY, GAZA - NOVEMBER 12: Smoke and flames blow up above the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV during Israeli airstrikes to positions in Gaza on November 12, 2018."

Below is a screenshot comparison between the false post (left) and the photo published by Getty Images in 2018 (right):

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Screenshot comparison between the false post (left) and the photo published by Getty Images (right)

The picture was credited to photographer Ali Jadallah and Turkey's state-run Anadolu Agency. It appeared in a report about the Israeli raids published by Anadolu Agency on November 12, 2018 (archived link).

An Israeli airstrike destroyed Hamas's Al Aqsa TV building in the Gaza strip, AFP reported at the time (archived link).

A video showing the explosion can also be viewed on AFP's archives.

The conflict in the Middle East has spurred a wave of misinformation, many of them misusing old or unrelated images and videos.