No, image does not show American aircraft in the Red Sea

What's being claimed?

An image of multiple aircraft docked on a naval aircraft carrier has been shared online with the claim that it shows a U.S. aircraft carrier that arrived in the Red Sea to support Israel. A Facebook user shared the image, and the text on the image reads, "US aircraft carrier and escorts arrive in the Red Sea to 'defend Israel' from its enemies,” and “Defenders of Children-Killers Arrive at the Middle East.” Archives of similar posts can be found here and here.

Screenshot of the viral image shared online. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

The United States of America has shown support for Israel amid the ongoing fight against Hezbollah, a rebel group in Iran and Houthis, a rebel group in Yemen, amid the overarching war between Israel and Hamas. The U.S., in a recent statement, said: “The U.S. has ironclad support for Israel's security and right to self-defense against threats from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah, Houthis, and other Iranian-backed terrorist groups.” Houthis have been attacking ships belonging to Israel and other countries in the Red Sea.

However, the image is unrelated to the current conflict. The image shows a U.S. aircraft carrier in Busan, South Korea, not in the Red Sea.

Here are the facts

Through a reverse image search, we found the original image published by the Associated Press on June 22, 2024 (archived here). The image, credited to photographer Song Kyung-Seok, was captioned: “The Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, is anchored in Busan, South Korea, Saturday, June 22, 2024."

Screenshot of the Associated Press image. (Source: AP News)

According to the AP News report, which also published an image of the carrier from a different aerial angle, on June 22, 2024, the nuclear-powered U.S. aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71) landed in South Korea for a three-way exercise. The United States, South Korea, and Japan carried out the exercise to create regional stability and prevent aggression in the Indo-Pacific area. CNN also reported on the exercise on the same date.

The verdict

The image of a U.S. aircraft carrier docked in Busan, South Korea, as part of a multi-national defense exercise in June 2024 has been shared with the false claim that the U.S. aircraft carrier arrived in the Red Sea to support Israel.