A video circulating claiming that the Fasiliyah Tower in Riyadh was targeted.. This is its truth

A video clip spread on social media claiming to be linked to the fire in the Al-Faisaliah Tower in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, as a result of an attack by the Houthi group in Yemen. The video, which has received more than a million views on the X website alone, shows thick smoke in the vicinity of Al-Faisaliah Tower, one of Riyadh’s most prominent architectural landmarks.

Publications claimed that the video was related to “targeting the Al-Faisaliah Tower in Riyadh,” adding that it was “urgent: the heart of Riyadh is in the crosshairs of escalation.” On January 30, 2018, the Arabic website Ofoq News reported - citing the official Al-Ekhbariya channel - that a fire broke out near the Al-Faisaliah Tower in the Saudi capital.

At the time, Al-Ekhbariya Channel published a video of the fire, and reported that “Riyadh Civil Defense extinguished a limited fire in a building under construction on Olaya Street. The incident resulted in a high density of smoke without causing any casualties.” The Ofoq News website in Arabic noted a simultaneous repetition of the video being circulated across several accounts on the X website, whose posts express support for the interests of the Houthi group.

This suggests that it may be part of a coordinated disinformation campaign. The video has returned to circulation amid continued attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen, on sites inside Saudi Arabia, including energy production facilities and city airports.

At a time when fighting is still taking place in many Yemeni governorates between the group’s fighters and forces loyal to the internationally recognized government and supported by Saudi Arabia, since last July.