US pilots shot down over Red Sea in ‘friendly fire’

A US fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the US military said.

According to Central Command, both crew members of the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet ejected safely and one suffered minor injuries.

The incident came after the United States carried out a series of airstrikes against a missile storage site and command facilities in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, operated by Iran-backed Houthi militants.

The US Central Command added that it also attacked several Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.

In a statement, US Central Command confirmed a “friendly fire” incident over the Red Sea.

“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier strike group, mistakenly fired and hit the F/A-18, which was flying in front of the USS Harry S Truman,” the statement said.

It is unclear whether the downed plane had been involved in the operation in Yemen.

Previously, the Central Command said that the attacks on targets in Sana’a were aimed at “disrupting and degrading Houthi operations, such as attacks on US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden”.

The US military also said it had struck “multiple Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles or one-way attack drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea” using “US Air Force and Navy assets, including F/A-18”. .

The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group that controls northwestern Yemen, began attacking Israeli and international shipping shortly after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Since November 2023, Houthi missile attacks have sunk two ships in the Red Sea and damaged others. They have claimed, often falsely, that their targets are ships linked only to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom.

Last December, the US, the UK and 12 other nations launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect the Red Sea shipping routes against attacks.

On Saturday, Israel’s military said its attempts to shoot down a projectile launched from Yemen were unsuccessful and that the missile hit a park in Tel Aviv.

Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service, said it treated 16 people who were “slightly injured” by shards of glass from broken windows in nearby buildings.

Another 14 people who suffered minor injuries on their way to protected areas were also treated, he added.

A Houthi spokesman said the group hit a military target using a hypersonic ballistic missile.

Earlier this week, Israel carried out a series of strikes against what it said were Houthi military targets. Affecting the ports and energy infrastructure of the Yemeni capital, Sanaa..

Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that nine people were killed in the port of Salif and the Ras Issa oil terminal.

The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks until the war in Gaza ends. The United States says its latest attack is part of a commitment to protect itself and its allies.