Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent ‘friendly fire’ incident

Two U.S. Navy pilots have been shot down Sunday over the Crimson Sea in an obvious “pleasant hearth” incident, the usmilitary mentioned, marking probably the most severe incident to threaten troops in over a 12 months of America focusing on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Each pilots have been recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken plane, with one struggling minor accidents. However the shootdown underlines simply how harmful the Crimson Sea hall has turn into over the continued assaults on transport by the Iranian-backed Houthis regardless of U.S. and European army coalitions patrolling the world.

The U.S. army had carried out airstrikes focusing on Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the time, although the U.S. army’s Central Command didn’t elaborate on what their mission was and didn’t instantly reply to questions from The Related Press.

The F/A-18 shot down had simply flown off the deck of the usHarry S. Truman plane provider, Central Command mentioned. On Dec. 15, Central Command acknowledged the Truman had entered the Mideast, however hadn’t specified that the provider and its battle group was within the Crimson Sea.

“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is a part of the usHarry S. Truman Service Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command mentioned in a press release.

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

It wasn’t instantly clear how the Gettysburg may mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy plane or missile, significantly as ships in a battle group stay linked by each radar and radio communication.

Nonetheless, Central Command mentioned that warships and plane earlier shot down a number of Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile hearth from the Houthis has given sailors simply seconds to make selections previously.

Because the Truman’s arrival, the U.S. has stepped up its airstrikes focusing on the Houthis and their missile hearth into the Crimson Sea and the encircling space. Nonetheless, the presence of an American warship group might spark renewed assaults from the rebels, like what the usDwight D. Eisenhower noticed earlier this 12 months. That deployment marked what the Navy described as its most intense fight since World Struggle II.

On Saturday evening and early Sunday, U.S. warplanes carried out airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen that the Houthis have held since 2014. Central Command described the strikes as focusing on a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility,” with out elaborating.

Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in each Sanaa and across the port metropolis of Hodeida, with out providing any casualty or harm info. In Sanaa, strikes appeared significantly focused at a mountainside recognized to be dwelling to army installations. The Houthis didn’t acknowledge the plane being shot down within the Crimson Sea.

The Houthis have focused about 100 service provider vessels with missiles and drones for the reason that Israel-Hamas conflict within the Gaza Strip began in October 2023 after Hamas’ shock assault on Israel that killed 1,200 individuals and noticed 250 others taken hostage.

Israel’s grinding offensive in Gaza has killed greater than 45,000 Palestinians, native well being officers say. The tally doesn’t distinguish between combatants and civilians.

The Houthis have 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 Crimson Sea or failed to succeed in their targets, which have additionally included Western army vessels.

The rebels keep that they aim ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the UK to drive an finish to Israel’s marketing campaign towards Hamas in Gaza. Nonetheless, most of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the battle, together with some sure for Iran.

The Houthis even have more and more focused Israel itself with drones and missiles, leading to retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.