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

Editor’s be aware: This story has been up to date to incorporate extra reporting by The Related Press, together with the F/A-18′s squadron.

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

Each pilots have been recovered alive, with one struggling minor accidents, however the incident underlines simply how harmful the Crimson Sea hall has turn out to be over the continued assaults on transport by the Iranian-backed Houthis regardless of U.S. and European army coalitions patrolling the realm.

The U.S. army had been conducting airstrikes concentrating on Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the time, although U.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 Harry S. Truman plane provider, Central Command mentioned. On Dec. 15, CENTCOM 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 united statesHarry S. Truman Provider Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command mentioned in an announcement.

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 might 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.

For the reason that Truman’s arrival, the U.S. has stepped up its airstrikes concentrating 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 united statesDwight D. Eisenhower noticed final 12 months. That deployment marked what the Navy described as its most intense fight since World Conflict II.

On Saturday evening and early Sunday, U.S. warplanes performed airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen that the Houthis have held since 2014. Central Command described the strikes as concentrating 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 data. In Sanaa, strikes appeared significantly focused at a mountainside identified to be residence to army installations. The Houthis later acknowledged the plane being shot down within the Crimson Sea.

The Houthis have focused about 100 service provider vessels with missiles and drones because the Israel-Hamas conflict within the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, when Hamas launched a shock assault on Israel that killed 1,200 folks 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 achieve 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 certain for Iran.