US pilots shot down over Red Sea in ‘friendly fire’
British Broadcasting CorporationThe US military said an American fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident.
The two crew members of a U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet ejected safely, with one suffering minor injuries, according to Central Command.
The incident followed a series of U.S. air strikes on missile storage bases and command facilities operated by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in the Yemeni capital Sanaa.
U.S. Central Command added that it also hit multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.
U.S. Central Command confirmed the “friendly fire” incident over the Red Sea in a statement.
The statement said: “The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman’s aircraft carrier strike group, mistakenly opened fire on an F/A-18 aircraft taking off from the USS Harry S. Truman. and hit.”
It was unclear whether the downed aircraft was involved in operations in Yemen.
Central Command earlier said the attacks on targets in Sanaa were aimed at “disrupting and degrading Houthi operations, such as attacks on U.S. Navy warships and commercial vessels in the southern Red Sea, Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden.”
The U.S. military also said it used “U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy assets, including F/A-18 fighter jets,” to strike “multiple Houthi unidirectional attack drones and anti-ship cruise missiles over the Red Sea.” .
The Houthis, the Iran-backed rebel group that controls northwestern Yemen, began attacking Israel and international shipping soon after the Gaza war broke out in October 2023, saying their actions were in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Since November 2023, Houthi missile attacks have sunk two ships and damaged others in the Red Sea. They often falsely claim that they target only ships with ties to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom.
In December, the United States, the United Kingdom and 12 other countries launched Operation Prosperity Keeper Protect the Red Sea waterways from attack.
ReutersThe Israeli military said on Saturday it had failed in its attempt to shoot down a missile launched from Yemen that hit a Tel Aviv park.
Israel’s emergency medical service, Magen David Adom, said it treated 16 people who were “minorly injured” by shards of glass from broken windows of nearby buildings.
Another 14 people who suffered minor injuries on the way to the reserve were also treated.
A spokesman for the Houthi armed forces said that the organization used hypersonic ballistic missiles to attack military targets.
Earlier this week, Israel launched a series of attacks on what it called Houthi military targets. Attacks on ports and energy infrastructure in Yemen’s capital Sanaa.
Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported nine people were killed at Salif Port and the Ras Issa oil terminal.
The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks until the Gaza war ends. The United States said its latest attack was part of a commitment to protect itself and its allies.
