US Navy unintentionally shot down its fighter jet over Red Sea Pilots fortunately alive
On December 22, two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent "friendly fire" incident.
Fortunately, both pilots were recovered alive, with one suffering only minor injuries, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.
The incident occurred as U.S. military forces were conducting airstrikes against Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen. The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed that the USS Gettysburg, a guided missile cruiser part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on an F/A-18 jet flying off the USS Harry S. Truman. The exact cause of the mistake remains unclear, especially since ships in a battle group remain linked through radar and radio communication.
CENTCOM did not elaborate on the mission details at the time of the incident but confirmed that earlier on Saturday, airstrikes targeted a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility in Houthi-controlled Sana'a, Yemen. These operations were in retaliation for the ongoing attacks by the Houthis on U.S. Navy warships and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Bab al-Mandab Strait.
During the same operation, CENTCOM also reported shooting down several Houthi attack drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.
This incident coincided with a rocket attack from Yemen that struck Tel Aviv on Saturday morning, injuring at least 16 people. The Houthis, in a Telegram statement, claimed responsibility for the attack, stating they aimed a hypersonic ballistic missile at an unspecified military target.
The U.S. Navy's presence in the region, particularly with the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, has resulted in an uptick in airstrikes against Houthi positions. However, the increased presence of American warships could provoke further retaliation from the rebels, as evidenced by previous attacks, including one earlier this year against the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower.
The Houthis have claimed responsibility for attacking around 100 merchant vessels since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, using missiles and drones. Despite claiming to target vessels linked to Israel, the U.S., or the U.K., many of the ships attacked had little to no connection to the ongoing conflict.
The Houthis have also increasingly targeted Israel itself with missiles and drones, leading to retaliatory airstrikes from Israeli forces.
Further details on the pilots' recovery and the ongoing military operations are expected to be released in the coming days.
By Khagan Isayev