Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the US military said on Sunday. Both pilots were found alive, with one suffering minor injuries in the incident.
The incident occurred when the US military carried out air strikes The Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemenalthough the US Army Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was at the time.
“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, accidentally fired at the F/A-18 flying ahead of the USS Harry S. Truman,” Central Command said. a statement.
It was not immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, especially since ships in a battle group remain connected by both radar and radio communications.
Earlier Saturday, CENTCOM reported that it had carried out precision airstrikes in Houthi-controlled territory in Sana’a, Yemen, against a missile storage facility and a command and control facility.
The strikes were carried out in response to the ongoing unrest Houthi attacks on U.S. Navy warships and commercial vessels in the southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, CENTCOM said.
During the operation, CENTCOM forces also shot down several Houthi attack drones as well as an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.
Early Saturday morning, a rocket fired from Yemen struck an area in Tel Aviv, injuring at least 16 people. The Houthis issued a statement via Telegram saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they had not identified.
Since Truman’s arrival, the US has increased its airstrikes against the Houthis and its rocket fire in the Red Sea and surrounding area. However, the presence of a group of American warships could give rise to new attacks by the rebels what the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That bet marked what the Navy described as the most intense battle since World War II.
Houthi-controlled media on Saturday reported US attacks in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, without providing any information on casualties or damage. In Sanaa, the attacks appeared to mainly target a mountainside known to be home to military installations. The Houthis did not acknowledge that the plane was shot down in the Red Sea.
The Houthis have aimed since then, about 100 merchant ships carrying missiles and drones in solidarity with the militant group Hamas the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023.
The Houthis have seized one ship and sank two in a campaign that also left four sailors dead. Other missiles and drones have both intercepted by separate US- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea, or failed to achieve their objectives, which also included Western military vessels.
The rebels claim they are targeting ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to end Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis are also increasingly targeting Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory attacks with Israeli airstrikes.
