Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea on Sunday in what seemed to be a “friendly fire” incident, according to the US military, marking the most serious event to threaten troops in more than a year of striking Yemen’s Houthis.
Both pilots were found alive after ejecting from their crashed plane, with one suffering minor injuries. However, the shootdown highlights how perilous the Red Sea passage has become as a result of the Iranian-backed Houthis’ persistent attacks on ships, despite the fact that US and European military coalitions patrol the area.
The US military had conducted airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels during the time, but the US Central Command did not clarify on their mission and did not react to questions from The Associated Press.
Central Command reported that the shot-down F/A-18 had just flown off the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman. On December 15, Central Command reported that the Truman had entered the Middle East, but did not specify whether the carrier and her battle group were in the Red Sea.
“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,” according to a statement from Central Command.
According to the military’s statement, the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
It wasn’t immediately clear how the Gettysburg might mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, especially because ships in a battle group are linked via radar and radio contact.
However, Central Command stated that warships and aircraft have already shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Previously, incoming hostile fire from the Houthis gave sailors only seconds to make decisions.
Since Truman’s arrival, the United States has increased its airstrikes against the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and nearby areas. However, the presence of an American battleship group may result in additional rebel attacks, as the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower experienced earlier this year. The Navy regarded the deployment as its most intensive battle since World War II.
On Saturday night and early Sunday, US airplanes conducted raids that jolted Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, which the Houthis have held since 2014. Central Command stated that the strikes targeted a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility,” but did not elaborate.
Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in Sanaa and the surrounding port city of Hodeida, but provided no casualty or damage details. Strikes in Sanaa looked to be aimed specifically at a mountaintop believed to house military installations. The Houthis later acknowledged that the aircraft was shot down in the Red Sea.
Since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023, the Houthis have attacked approximately 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, following Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel, which killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 250 more.
More than 45,000 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, local health officials report. The tally does not distinguish between fighters and civilians.
The Houthis have taken one warship and sunk two in a campaign that has killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by other U.S. and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their intended targets, which have included Western military ships.
The rebels claim they are targeting ships belonging to Israel, the United States, or the United Kingdom in order to put an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, several of the ships attacked had no link to the fighting, including some destined for Iran.
The Houthis have also increasingly targeted Israel with drones and missiles, prompting retaliatory Israeli bombings.