As the dust settles over the volatile Middle East, a new chapter appears to be unfolding—though not without its share of skepticism and high-stakes maneuvering. On October 13, 2025, Yemen’s Ansarullah movement, also known as the Huthis, announced a conditional halt to their operations against Israeli targets and Israel-linked vessels in the Red Sea. The move, reported by AhlulBayt News Agency, hinges squarely on Israel’s compliance with a newly brokered ceasefire in Gaza. If Israel breaks the truce, the Huthis warn, their military actions will not only resume but intensify.
“If the Israeli regime continues its aggression and blockade of Gaza, our military operations will resume with greater intensity and broader scope to compel it to end its crimes,” cautioned Hazam al-Assad, a member of Ansarullah’s political bureau, in an interview with RT on Sunday. The group, he emphasized, is keeping a close eye on developments following the truce. This isn’t just posturing—Ansarullah’s leader, Abdul-Malik al-Houthi, reiterated that the movement remains vigilant, ready to respond to any violations or provocations. According to IRNA, al-Houthi stated that the group is tracking the ceasefire’s implementation and won’t hesitate to act if it’s breached.
The ceasefire itself came into effect after Hamas announced on October 9 that it had reached a formal agreement with Israel to end the war in Gaza and initiate a prisoner-exchange deal. The agreement marked a significant, if fragile, step toward ending a conflict that has devastated the region for two years. The truce was brokered by U.S. President Donald Trump, whose involvement in Middle East diplomacy has been both lauded and criticized in equal measure.
But as world leaders scramble to support the peace process, digital misinformation has muddied the waters. On October 13, 2025, AFP published a fact-check debunking a series of unrelated video clips that had been falsely circulated online as evidence of Huthi drone attacks causing destruction in Israel. One Douyin video, for example, claimed that on September 2, Huthi drones had launched a massive assault on Tel Aviv and the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) headquarters. The video, which quickly spread across social media platforms, showed dramatic images and clips purporting to capture the aftermath of these supposed attacks.
However, a closer look revealed a different story. China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported that the Huthis had announced multiple attacks on Israel on September 2, but these claims could not be independently verified. The IDF did confirm that projectile fire from Yemen triggered sirens in Israel on September 3, but crucially, no damage was reported. The visuals circulating online were, in fact, recycled from earlier and unrelated conflicts. According to AFP’s investigation, the smoky skyline shown in some clips was actually footage from Iranian missile attacks on Tel Aviv in June 2025, not from any Huthi operation. Other images were traced back to Israeli air strikes in Sanaa, Yemen, in August 2025, Israeli strikes on Gaza City in October 2023, and Israeli attacks in Syria in July 2025.
Such misinformation isn’t just a digital nuisance—it has real-world consequences, stoking tensions and confusion at a time when clarity is desperately needed. As AFP pointed out, some social media users appeared to believe these misleading clips depicted actual damage in Israel caused by Huthi attacks, with comments ranging from darkly hopeful to openly hostile. The proliferation of these false narratives underscores the challenges facing journalists, officials, and ordinary citizens alike as they try to discern fact from fiction in the fog of war.
The roots of the current conflict trace back to October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a surprise attack on Israel, resulting in the deaths of 1,219 Israelis, most of them civilians, according to AFP’s tally based on Israeli figures. The Israeli military’s retaliatory offensive has since killed at least 67,806 people in Gaza, according to health ministry figures in the Hamas-run territory, numbers that the United Nations considers reliable. The human toll has been staggering, with entire neighborhoods reduced to rubble and families torn apart by loss and displacement.
The ceasefire reached in October 2025 is, therefore, not just a diplomatic milestone but a desperately needed reprieve for civilians on both sides of the border. British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, reflecting on the significance of the truce, described it as “the first, crucial phase in ending the war in the Middle East.” In a post on X, Starmer added, “Now we must deliver lasting peace and a secure future for the whole region. The UK is providing additional humanitarian aid for civilians in Gaza, and we will lead efforts to accelerate its reconstruction.”
Starmer is one of 20 world leaders gathering in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt, for a summit where the Gaza peace plan is set to be signed. The event signals a rare moment of international unity, with leaders from across the globe converging to endorse a roadmap for peace. U.S. President Donald Trump, who played a pivotal role in brokering the ceasefire, arrived in Israel on October 13, receiving a red carpet welcome from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Trump is expected to address the Israeli parliament before heading to the summit in Egypt, underlining the high-level diplomatic choreography at play.
Yet, for all the optimism swirling around the ceasefire and peace summit, the situation remains precarious. Ansarullah’s conditional suspension of attacks, for instance, is a stark reminder that peace in the region is built on shifting sands. The group has made it clear that any perceived violation of the ceasefire by Israel will trigger a swift and forceful response. “Our military operations will resume with greater intensity and broader scope to compel it to end its crimes,” Hazam al-Assad reiterated. Such warnings hang heavily over the ongoing negotiations, casting a shadow over hopes for a lasting resolution.
Meanwhile, the specter of misinformation continues to loom large. The rapid spread of doctored or misattributed footage not only distorts public perception but also risks inflaming hostilities at a time when trust is in short supply. Fact-checking organizations like AFP play a vital role in debunking these falsehoods, but the sheer volume of content circulating online makes the task Herculean.
As the world watches events unfold—from the corridors of power in Sharm el Sheikh to the battered streets of Gaza and Tel Aviv—one thing is clear: the path to peace is fraught with obstacles, both on the ground and in the digital realm. The coming days will test the resolve of all parties involved, as leaders, militants, and civilians alike grapple with the consequences of war, the promise of peace, and the ever-present challenge of truth in an age of misinformation.
