Two US Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the US military said, marking the most serious incident threatening troops in more than a year of US strikes. Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Both pilots were recovered alive after being ejected from their crashed plane, and one suffered minor injuries. But the shootdown underscores how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become, with continued attacks on shipping by the Iran-backed Houthis even as US and European military coalitions patrol the area.
The US military had carried out airstrikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels at the time of the friendly fire incident, although the US military's Central Command did not elaborate on what the pilots' mission was and did not respond to questions from The Associated Press.
The downed F/A-18 had just taken off from the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, Central Command said. On December 15, Central Command acknowledged that the Truman had entered the Middle East, but had not specified that the carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.
“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.
According to the military description, the downed aircraft was an F/A-18 Super Hornet two-seat fighter aircraft assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 at Oceana Naval Air Station, Virginia.
It was not immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly because ships in a battle group remain connected by both radar and radio communication.
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However, Central Command said warships and aircraft earlier shot down several Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has given sailors only seconds to make decisions in the past.
Since Truman's arrival, the United States has intensified its air strikes against the Houthis and its missile fire into and around the Red Sea. However, the presence of a group of American warships can provoke new attacks by rebels, such as what the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That deployment marked what the Navy described as its most intense combat since World War II.
On Saturday night and early Sunday, U.S. warplanes carried out airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the Yemeni capital that the Houthis have controlled since 2014. Central Command described the strikes as targeting a “storage facility.” of missiles” and a “command and control facility,” without giving further details.
Houthi-controlled media reported attacks both in Sana'a and around the port city of Hodeidah, without offering any information on casualties or damage. In Sana'a, the attacks appeared to be particularly targeted at a mountainside known to host military installations. However, no images or information about the attacks were released, which occurred previously when airstrikes hit vital rebel installations.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, issued a pre-recorded statement hours later saying the rebels launched eight drones and 17 cruise missiles in their attack. He also claimed, without offering any evidence, that the Houthis shot down the F/A-18, likely following a pattern of making exaggerated claims. During Eisenhower's deployment, he repeatedly falsely claimed that the aircraft carrier had been hit by Houthi fire.
The Houthis have attacked about 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, after Hamas' surprise attack on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw another 250 taken hostage.
Israel's devastating offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, local health officials say. The count does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
The Houthis have seized a boat and sank two in one campaign which has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have been intercepted by separate coalitions led by the United States and Europe in the Red Sea or failed to hit their targets, which also included Western military vessels.
The rebels say they attack ships linked to Israel, the United States or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have also increasingly attacked Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in Israeli retaliatory airstrikes.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would act “strongly” against the Houthis, as it has against other allies of Iran, “only in this case we are not acting alone.”
© 2024 The Canadian Press