Summary and Key Points: For weeks, Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen falsely claimed to have damaged the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) and recently spread rumors of the Houthis shooting down an F-22 Raptor over the Red Sea. The U.S. Navy countered disinformation with social media updates, highlighting the warship's normal operations.

-Despite the Houthi claims, no credible sources support the rumors regarding the F-22 or any aircraft carrier attacks.

-The F-22's advanced stealth capabilities and the lack of any reported strikes on aircraft further discredit the Houthi misinformation.

Disinformation Debunked: F-22 Raptor Safe Despite Houthi Claims

For weeks, the Iran-back Houthi rebel group in Yemen claimed it had successfully damaged – or worse depending on the posts – the United States Navy's Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) in the Persian Gulf.

Houthi misinformation and disinformation have continued to spread on social media, while satirical posts have further served to confuse matters.

For the record, the Ike is fine, and so are the other warships in her carrier strike group (CSG). The U.S. Navy has attempted to counter the disinformation with its own social media posts that have highlighted the daily routine on board the flattop. That has included posts about "Taco Tuesday," a favorite of the warship's captain and much of the crew.

However, the Houthis have a new target – the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor. Rumors circulated this week that one of the fifth-generation stealth fighters was shot down over the Red Sea.

"Update: Yemen Houthis forces in Yemen shot down an American F-22 fighter jet over the Red Sea!! More details coming!!," reported the account US Civil Defense News (@CaptCoronado) via a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.

A follow-up post added, "Update: Reports are not clear if this is an IDF or US fighter jet!"

Serious Disinformation At Play on F-22

It wouldn't take a super social media sleuth to question the posts. Though it has the handle "US Civil Defense News," and claims to be a "retired military officer, former political advisor, and even Iraq War veteran," it is hard to tell who exactly runs the account.

This fact is notable as no credible open-source military intelligence analyst would suggest the F-22 is an "IDF" fighter. The Israeli Air Force does not and has not ever operated the F-22. In fact, the United States Air Force remains the only operator of the F-22. Therefore it would be wise to take the posts with a huge grain of salt.

Cyber security analyst Ryan McBeth researched the account and reported that it may be a disinformation troll account.

Additional claims of the downed F-22 had circulated on Russian Arabic social media platforms before the English language post appeared on X, Newsweek reported. The magazine of record's fact check team rated the story "false," and stated "There is no evidence to support this claim and no reference to any such encounter in the Red Sea. There are no records of F-22s being deployed as part of U.S. operations against Houthi rebels, the unsourced rumors are thought to have started on Russian social media channels."

Similar claims were made about a Raptor being shot down in January, yet, to date no F-22s have been lost in combat during its quarter century in service.

As The National Interest has previously reported, the F-22 is equipped with advanced stealth capabilities that would make it especially different for it to be downed by any anti-aircraft weapons in the Houthi's arsenal. Moreover, the Iran-back militant's strikes have been largely with anti-ship missiles – and there have been absolutely no successful reported strikes on any civilian or military aircraft.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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