The US military said Sunday that one of its F/A-18 fighter jets was shot down over the Red Sea early Sunday in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, which came after the command said it launched more airstrikes on Yemen.
Two pilots ejected safely from the aircraft, with one only suffering minor injuries. CENTCOM said the US jet took off from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and was mistakenly shot down by the guided-missile cruiser Gettysburg. According to The Associated Press, US Navy ships and aircraft shot down Houthi drones and one cruise missile right before the incident.
The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, said the downing of the F/A-18 was a result of an operation it launched against the USS Truman and other warships.
“The [Yemeni] Armed Forces carried out the strategic operation using eight cruise missiles, 17 drones. The operation resulted in the downing of an ‘F-18’ aircraft as the destroyers attempted to intercept the Yemeni drones and missiles,” Yemen’s Al Masirah TV reported, citing a statement from Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sarea.
On Saturday, CENTCOM said its forces conducted “precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility” operated by the Houthis in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
The Houthis downplayed the strikes, saying Yemeni forces “thwarted” the attack. “The Armed Forces confirmed their success in repelling and thwarting the US-British aggression, reiterating their readiness to confront any American, British, or Israeli folly in the future,” Al Masirah reported.
Early Saturday, a Houthi missile landed in Israel, lightly injuring dozens of people. The attack came two days after Israeli strikes pounded energy infrastructure in Sanaa and Yemeni ports in the Red Sea province of Hodeidah, killing at least nine workers.
Since last year, the Houthis have been launching attacks on Israel-linked shipping and firing missiles and drones at Israel in response to the onslaught in Gaza.
In January of this year, the US began a new bombing campaign against the Houthis and launched hundreds of missile strikes on Yemen that have done nothing but escalate the situation. The Houthis started targeting American shipping in response and have expanded their attacks on Israel.
From 2015-2022, the US supported a Saudi/UAE war against the Houthis, which involved heavy airstrikes and a blockade, and the Houthis only became a more capable fighting force during that time.
According to the UN, the war killed at least 377,000 people, with more than half dying of starvation and disease caused by the siege. A ceasefire between the Houthis and Saudis has held relatively well since April 2022, but new US sanctions are blocking the implementation of a lasting peace deal.
