Two US Navy According to the US military, pilots were shot down over the Red Sea on Sunday in what appeared to be friendly fire.
The pilots were found alive after being ejected from their plane. One of them suffered minor injuries.
The incident highlights the ever-present dangers in the Red Sea corridor amid continued attacks on shipping by the Iran-backed Houthis, even as U.S. and European military coalitions patrol the area.
The US military had carried out airstrikes on the Houthi rebels in Yemen at the time, but US Central Command did not provide details of its mission.
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A fighter jet maneuvers on the deck of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower in the Red Sea, June 11, 2024. (AP)
According to the military, the downed aircraft was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the Red Rippers of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 from Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
Accordingly, the downed F/A-18 had just flown off the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman Central Command. On December 15, Central Command announced that the Truman had entered the Middle East, but did not indicate that the carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.
“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, accidentally fired at and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.
It is unclear how the Gettysburg mistook an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, especially since ships in a battle group are linked by radar and radio communications.
US military carries out successful air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen
The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) steams in the Mediterranean Sea, Dec. 15, 2024. (AP)
Central Command said warships and aircraft had previously shot down several Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile fired by the rebels. The Houthis’ fire has previously forced sailors to make decisions in seconds.
Since the Truman’s arrival, the US has increased its air strikes against the Houthis and rocket fire in and around the Red Sea. But a group of American warships in the region could lead to further rebel attacks.
On Saturday night and Sunday, US warplanes carried out airstrikes that rocked the Yemeni capital Sanaa, which has been held by the Houthis for a decade. Central Command said the attacks targeted a “missile depot” and a “command and control facility.”
Houthi-controlled media reported strikes both in Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, but did not report any casualties or damage.
The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman is docked near Split, Croatia, on February 14, 2022. (AP)
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The Houthis later admitted that the plane had been shot down in the Red Sea.
Since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war In October last year, the Houthis attacked around 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones.
The rebels say they are targeting ships linked to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza, which began after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel on May 7. October 2023 began, although many of the ships attacked by the rebels have little or no connection to the ongoing war, including some that were bound for Iran.
The Houthis have also increasingly attacked Israel with drones and missiles, prompting retaliatory attacks from Israeli forces.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.