A U.S. Navy ship mistakenly shot down an American fighter jet over the Red Sea early Sunday, the U.S. military’s Central Command said, describing it as an apparent case of friendly fire.
The two pilots were safely recovered after ejecting from their F/A-18 aircraft, Central Command said in a statement, with one suffering minor injuries. An investigation is underway, it added.
The jet had flown off the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier when it was mistakenly fired upon by the USS Gettysburg, a guided missile cruiser, Central Command said.
Both ships are in the Harry S. Truman carrier strike group. Central Command said on Dec. 15 that the carrier group had been deployed to its area of responsibility, which includes Yemen and the surrounding waters. The command did not specify where the group was located.
The Iranian-backed Houthi militia controls much of northwestern Yemen and has been striking ships in what it has described as a campaign in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The U.S. military has conducted multiple strikes this year on Houthi targets in Yemen in an effort to secure international waterways.
On Saturday, Central Command said it had conducted airstrikes against a Houthi missile storage facility and a command facility in Houthi-controlled territory in Sana, Yemen. It said it had also shot down multiple Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles and anti-ship cruise missiles over the Red Sea.
These operations included F/A-18s, the command said.
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