On January 17, Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked Abu Dhabi airport using drones and missiles which killed three and injured six. Against this backdrop, a couple of images are being widely shared on social media with a claim that they show the recent drone attack in Abu Dhabi.
One of the images is being shared on Facebook with the caption: “BREAKING: Two Indians among 3 killed in a suspected drone attack in Abu Dhabi.”
Here’s the link to the above post.
Another image is being shared on Twitter with the text: “Two Indians Among 3 Killed in Houthi Drone Attack in Abu Dhabi, Six Others Injured.”
Here’s the link to the above post.
FACT CHECK
NewsMobile fact-checked the above claim and found it to be MISLEADING.
Image 1
Doing a Reverse Image Search of the first image, we were directed to a news report published in The Times of India on August 3, 2016. According to the article, “The flight had originated from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala and crash-landed at Dubai International Airport around 12:45 PM local time on August 3, 2016.”
Searching further, we found a news report published by the Indian Express which reported the same incident in 2016 with the same image. You can check related news item published by The Quint on August 4, 2016, also.
We however noticed that the viral image is slightly morphed and drones had been added in the left corner of the frame. Below is the comparison between the viral image and the original image.
Thus, it is evident from the above information that an image from 2016 is being falsely linked to the recent UAE drone attack.
Image 2
A Reverse Image Search of the second image directed us to a news report published by AP News on August 29, 2019, which carried the same viral image. The article reads, “Two unidentified drones killed two Iraqi members of an Iran-backed paramilitary force on Sunday, the group said in a statement, saying the attack took place in Iraq near the border with Syria.”
Searching further, we found a news report published by The Guardian in 2019 which reported the same incident carrying the same viral image. Check a similar news report here.
Thus, it is evident from the above information that old and unrelated images are being falsely linked to the recent UAE drone attack. Therefore, the viral claim is misleading.
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