Washington: Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea early Sunday in “an apparent case of friendly fire,” the American military said.
Both pilots were recovered alive but “initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries,” the United States Central Command said late Saturday local Florida time — where CENTCOM is headquartered.
“This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway,” the CENTCOM said.
CENTCOM said the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg “mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18” fighter aircraft, which was flown by the Navy pilots off another ship, the USS Harry S Truman.
CENTCOM Conducts Airstrikes Against Iran-Backed Houthi Missile Storage and Command/Control Facilities in Yemen
TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by… pic.twitter.com/YRWWQJIweP
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 21, 2024
CNN quoted two US military officials saying that the downed fighter jet was not part of the strikes in Yemen.
Potentially disastrous mistake
The potentially disastrous mistake underscores the dangers of a mission the United States has been involved in for more than a year as Yemen’s Huthi rebels have repeatedly targeted merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that they say are Israeli-linked.
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On Saturday the United States said it struck targets in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, hours after a Huthi rebel missile wounded people in Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv.
More than a dozen people sustained minor injuries, according to emergency services, but no fatalities were reported.
American forces also shot down multiple Huthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, it said.
Huthis have claimed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel and Hamas have been at war since October 7, 2023.
