American pilots shot down by “friendly fire” over the Red Sea

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 crews of the F/A-18 Hornet ejected safely, with one of them suffering minor injuries.

The incident came after the US carried out a series of airstrikes on missile caches and command facilities in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, controlled by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

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

In a statement, US Central Command confirmed the “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 engaged an F/A-18 flying from the USS Harry S Truman,” the report said.

It is unclear whether the downed plane was involved in an operation in Yemen.

Earlier, the Central Command said the strikes on facilities in Sana’a were aimed at “disrupting and worsening Houthi operations, such as attacks on US Navy military and merchant ships in the southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden.”

The U.S. military also said it struck “several Houthi drones or unmanned aerial vehicles in one direction and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea” using “US Air Force and US Navy assets, including F/A-18s.” .

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

Since November 2023, Houthi missile attacks have sunk two vessels in the Red Sea and damaged others. They claimed, often falsely, that they targeted ships associated only with Israel, the US or the UK.

Last December, the US, UK and 12 other countries launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect the shipping lanes of the Red Sea from attack.

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

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

Another 14 people received minor injuries on the way to the protected areas, and assistance was also provided.

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

Earlier this week, Israel carried out a series of strikes on what it called Houthi military targets. hitting ports as well as energy infrastructure in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a.

The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV channel said nine people were killed in the Salif port and the Ras Issa oil terminal.

The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks until the war in Gaza ends. The US says its latest strike is part of its commitment to defend itself and its allies.