2 U.S. Navy pilots eject safely after fighter jet shot down over Red Sea by likely

Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the U.S. military said Sunday. Both pilots were recovered alive, with one suffering minor injuries in the incident.

The incident came as the U.S. military conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels, though the U.S. military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was at the time.

“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18, which was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman,” Central Command said in a statement.

It wasn’t immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.  

Earlier Saturday, CENTCOM reported that it had conducted precision airstrikes in Houthi-controlled territory in Sana’a, Yemen, against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility.

The strikes were conducted in response to the ongoing Houthi attacks on U.S. Navy warships and commercial vessels in the Southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, CENTCOM said.

During the operation, CENTCOM forces also shot down several Houthi attack drones, as well as an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea. 

Early Saturday morning, a rocket fired from Yemen struck an area in Tel Aviv, injuring at least 16 people. The Houthis issued a statement on Telegram saying they had aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.    

Since the Truman’s arrival, the U.S. has stepped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area. However, the presence of an American warship group may spark renewed attacks from the rebels, like 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.

Houthi-controlled media reported U.S. strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida Saturday, without offering any casualty or damage information. In Sanaa, strikes appeared particularly targeted at a mountainside known to be home to military installations. The Houthis did not acknowledge the aircraft being shot down in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones in solidarity with the militant group Hamas since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023.

The Houthis have seized one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate U.S. and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea, or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.

The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the U.S. 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 also have increasingly targeted Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.