U.S. navy ‘friendly fire’: Two pilots shot down over Red Sea

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates –

Two U.S. navy pilots had been shot down Sunday over the Pink Sea in an obvious “pleasant hearth” incident, the usmilitary stated, marking probably the most severe incident to threaten troops in over a 12 months of America focusing on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Each aviators had been recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken two-seat F/A-18 plane, with one struggling minor accidents. However the shootdown underlines simply how harmful the Pink Sea hall has change into, with ongoing assaults on transport by the Iranian-backed Houthis regardless of U.S. and European navy coalitions patrolling the world.

The U.S. navy had performed airstrikes focusing on Yemen’s Houthi rebels on the time of the pleasant hearth incident, although the U.S. navy’s Central Command didn’t elaborate on what the pilots’ mission was and didn’t reply to questions from The Related Press.

The F/A-18 shot down had simply flown off the deck of the usHarry S. Truman plane service, Central Command stated. On Dec. 15, Central Command acknowledged the Truman had entered the Mideast, however hadn’t specified that the service and its battle group was within the Pink Sea.

“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is a part of the usHarry S. Truman Service Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command stated in a press release. “This incident was not the results of hostile hearth, and a full investigation is underway.”

From the navy’s description, the plane shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Tremendous Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Pink Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia. Whereas Central Command referred to each as pilots, usually a two-seat F/A-18 has a pilot and a weapons officer on board.

It wasn’t instantly clear how the Gettysburg may mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy plane or missile, notably as ships in a battle group stay linked by each radar and radio communication.

Nevertheless, Central Command stated that warships and plane earlier shot down a number of Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels. Incoming hostile hearth from the Houthis has given sailors simply seconds to make selections prior to now.

For the reason that Truman’s arrival, the U.S. has stepped up its airstrikes focusing on the Houthis and their missile hearth into the Pink Sea and the encompassing space. Nevertheless, the presence of an American warship group might spark renewed assaults from the rebels, like what the usDwight D. Eisenhower noticed earlier this 12 months. That deployment marked what the navy described as its most intense fight since World Struggle II.

On Saturday night time and early Sunday, U.S. warplanes performed airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen which the Houthis have held since 2014. Central Command described the strikes as focusing 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 injury data. In Sanaa, strikes appeared notably focused at a mountainside identified to be house to navy installations. Nevertheless, there have been no photographs or data launched concerning the strikes — which has occurred beforehand when airstrikes hit very important services for the rebels.

Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi navy spokesman, launched a prerecorded assertion hours later during which he claimed the rebels launched eight drones and 17 cruise missiles of their assault. He additionally claimed with out providing any proof that the Houthis shot down the F/A-18, seemingly following a sample of him making exaggerated claims. Through the Eisenhower’s deployment, he repeatedly falsely claimed the service had been struck by Houthi hearth.

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 after Hamas’ shock assault on Israel that killed 1,200 individuals 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 does not 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 Pink Sea or failed to achieve their targets, which have additionally included western navy vessels.

The rebels keep that they aim ships linked to Israel, the U.S. or the UK to power an finish to Israel’s marketing campaign in opposition to Hamas in Gaza. Nevertheless, most of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the battle, together with some sure for Iran.

The Houthis even have more and more focused Israel itself with drones and missiles, leading to retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated his nation would act “forcefully” in opposition to the Houthis, because it has in opposition to different allies of Iran, “solely on this case, we’re not performing alone.” Israeli media stories late Sunday, counting on nameless sources, steered senior safety officers imagine that Israel ought to straight strike Iran over the Houthi assaults, somewhat than hit targets in Yemen once more.