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

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

Both crews of the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet ejected safely, with one suffering minor injuries, according to Central Command.

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

US Central Command added that it also hit 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 Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired at and hit the F/A-18 flying off the USS Harry S Truman,” the statement said.

It is not clear whether the downed plane had been involved in the Yemen operation.

Former Central Command said the strikes against targets in Sanaa were aimed at “disrupting and degrading Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant ships in the southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden”.

The US military also said it hit “several Houthi one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicles or drones 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 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 vessels in the Red Sea and damaged others. They have claimed, often falsely, that they are targeting ships linked only to Israel, the US or the UK.

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

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

Magen David Adom, Israel’s emergency medical service, said it was treating 16 people who were “mildly 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, it said.

A Houthi spokesman said the group struck 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, hitting ports and energy infrastructure in 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 US says its latest attack is part of a commitment to protect itself and its allies.