TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A video claiming that Indonesia fired missiles at Malaysia due to the Ambalat Block dispute has been circulating on TikTok [archive] since August 2025.
The one-minute video shows the launch of dozens of missiles. As a result of the attack, buildings in the city were destroyed. “Don't mess with Ambalat, or I'll wipe your country off the map,” the account wrote.
As of November 27, 2025, the video had been reposted 105 times and liked by around 4,500 accounts. But is it true that Indonesia fired missiles at Malaysia?
FACT CHECK
Tempo verified the content by interviewing officials from the Ministry of Defense, using reverse image search tools, and keywords in search engines. The results show that there was no missile attack from Indonesia to Malaysia due to the Ambalat Block dispute.
Head of the Defense Ministry's Information Bureau, Colonel Arm Rico Ricardo Sirait, said Indonesia never sent missiles targeting Malaysia as shown in the video circulating online. There has also never been any military operation in Malaysia.
“The video material circulating is not part of Indonesia's defense activities,” Rico told Tempo on Tuesday, November 25, 2025.
He explained that Indonesia's approach to the Ambalat Block dispute has always been based on diplomacy, bilateral negotiations, and law enforcement at sea through inter-agency coordination.
Negotiations between the two countries, Rico said, have been ongoing for a long time. Diplomacy was chosen to maintain regional stability and prevent conflict escalation. He urged the public not to be provoked and not to repost the video. “Such material can easily cause misunderstandings,” Rico said.
Visual Verification
Using reverse image search tools and keywords, Tempo found that the missile strike clip was identical to footage from the 3D combat game Arma 3. The visual similarities can be matched to footage from the YouTube channel Greenfish.
Identical visuals are seen in the missile launch scene, the explosion emitting a yellowish light, and the sight of destroyed buildings leaving piles of rubble.
History of the Ambalat Block Dispute
As reported by Tempo.co, the Ambalat Block is a maritime area located in the Sulawesi Sea north of Kalimantan Island. This area, rich in oil and natural gas, is located on the border and is disputed by Indonesia and Malaysia.
Malaysia uses a unilateral map from 1979 and its connection to the islands of Sipadan and Ligitan, which it owns. Meanwhile, Indonesia claims the area based on its recognized identity as an archipelagic state and has made this a legal doctrine, particularly the principles in the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
The dispute has strained relations between the two countries in the 1980s and 1990s, marked by intensified patrols, resource exploration activities, and diplomatic protests.
However, President Prabowo Subianto and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim have stated that they will take the diplomatic route to resolve the dispute.
“You have a choice: go to war or negotiate. A sane person must choose the path of negotiation, and that is what we are doing,” said Anwar at the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta on Tuesday, July 29, 2025.
CONCLUSION
Tempo's verification concludes that the video narrative claiming Indonesia attacked Malaysia with missiles related to the Ambalat dispute is a false claim.
TEMPO FACT CHECK TEAM
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