2 US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in friendly fire incident  

By Jack Phillips 
Contributing Author 

Two U.S. Navy pilots and one F-18 fighter airplane had been shot down over the Purple Sea, which separates North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, in what officers say was a pleasant fireplace incident. 

Two pilots had been rescued, one with minor accidents, after the “obvious case of pleasant fireplace,” U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) mentioned in an announcement. Officers mentioned the incident is being investigated, however didn’t present extra particulars. 

“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is a part of the united statesHarry S. Truman Provider Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” CENTCOM mentioned in its assertion. 

Based mostly on the U.S. army’s description, the plane shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Purple Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. 

The incident comes as Central Command individually mentioned that it carried out “precision airstrikes” in Yemen in opposition to a missile storage facility and a command-and-control base operated by the Houthi terrorist group that has taken over areas throughout Yemen over the previous decade. 

CENTCOM mentioned on Dec. 21 that the airstrikes had been carried out in an try to “disrupt and degrade” the group’s operations in how they’ve launched drone and different assaults in opposition to U.S. Navy warships and service provider ships within the Gulf of Aden, Purple Sea, and different areas in latest months. 

America additionally shot down a number of “a method assault uncrewed aerial automobiles” operated by the Houthis and anti-ship cruise missiles within the Purple Sea. These efforts had been performed by F/A-18 fighter jets and different Navy property, the assertion mentioned. 

It’s not clear if the strikes in opposition to Houthi operations over the weekend had been linked to the 2 pilots being shot down.  

Houthi Brigadier Basic Yahya Qasim Sare’e mentioned on Telegram that the group was chargeable for capturing down the U.S. Navy F-18 fighter jet, in line with translated assertion. 

He mentioned that the united statesS. Harry S. Truman strike group operation “resulted within the failure of an American-British assault on our nation and the downing of an F-18 airplane.” U.S. officers haven’t publicly responded to his claims. 

“The American assaults on Yemen are condemned and unlawful terrorist assaults that assist the terrorism of the short-term Israeli entity to proceed the genocide and siege of the individuals of Gaza,” Mohammed al-Houthi, one of many leaders of the group, mentioned in a separate assertion, additionally translated. 

In latest months, the Purple Sea has seen important army exercise after the Houthis, a U.S. State Division-designated terrorist group backed by Iran, have launched assaults in opposition to transport within the area. The Houthis have ramped up their operations for the reason that starting of the battle between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group in Gaza. 

The Houthis have to this point seized one vessel and sunk two in a marketing campaign that has additionally killed 4 sailors. Different missiles and drones have both been intercepted by separate U.S.- and European-led coalitions within the Purple Sea or failed to succeed in their targets, which have additionally included Western army vessels. 

The group mentioned that their operations are focusing on ships heading to Israel and are designed to disrupt the latter’s Gaza marketing campaign, which began in October 2023 following Hamas’s air, land, and sea assault on Israel throughout which it killed greater than 1,200 civilians and kidnapped round 250 extra as hostages. 

Israel has additionally retaliated in opposition to Houthi missile and drone strikes with its personal airstrikes. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despatched a warning to the Houthis on Sunday, saying that he’ll conduct army operations in opposition to the Yemeni group on account of its ties with Iran. 

“Simply as we acted forcefully in opposition to the terrorist arms of Iran’s axis of evil, so we are going to act in opposition to the Houthis,” he mentioned in a video assertion. “America, together with different nations, views the Houthis as a risk not solely to worldwide transport but in addition to the worldwide order.” 

The Related Press and Reuters contributed to this report.