Deepfake at war: Houthis accused of using AI to fake Yemeni commander's voice amid Mocha battle
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Deepfake at war: Houthis accused of using AI to fake Yemeni commander's voice amid Mocha battle")
UAE-backed National Resistance Forces accused Iran-backed Houthi fighters over AI use to mimic voice. Photograph: (X/@TomthunkitsMind)
The clip appeared to show Lt. Gen. Tareq Saleh ordering or announcing a withdrawal as his forces experienced mounting pressure near Mocha. After the clip surfaced, Saleh's military media office dismissed the audio as fake, AI-generated content.
Iran-backed Houthi fighters have been accused of deploying artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic a senior Yemeni commander's voice and a fake retreat order, even as their troops pressed forward on the strategic Red Sea port of Mocha. This marks a move that Lt. Gen. Tareq Saleh's forces describe as a deliberate bid to create chaos during one of the Houthis’ most significant offensives in years.
An audio clip sounding like Saleh, who led the UAE-backed National Resistance Forces, began spreading as Houthi fighters broke through government lines along Yemen’s western coast. The clip appeared to show Saleh ordering or announcing a withdrawal as his forces experienced mounting pressure near Mocha.
After the clip surfaced, Saleh's military media office dismissed the audio as fake, AI-generated content, calling it an effort to confuse troops, shape the narrative around the fighting, and undermine morale. Meanwhile, Independent verification of the AI-fabrication claims is still pending.
Saleh’s forces cautioned over authenticity
Reports indicated that the disputed recording told forces that advances and retreats were a normal part of war and instructed units to pull back toward Mocha. In response, Saleh’s forces cautioned that only statements issued through official National Resistance military channels should be considered genuine, and that any material attributed to the commander elsewhere ought to be treated as unverified.
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The purported deception struck at a particularly precarious moment, with Houthi forces rapidly seizing territory from troops loyal to Yemen's internationally recognised government, and battlefield reports shifting hour by hour. Conflict-monitoring sources also reported that messages were circulating urging fighters to surrender their weapons and return home in exchange for amnesty. Neither the reach of those messages nor the actual impact of the alleged fake audio on troops has been independently confirmed.
