U.S. Navy pilots safely ejected over the Red Sea on Sunday after what appeared to be friendly fire shot down the F/A-18 fighter jet they were in, according to U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM).
CENTCOM stated that the F/A-18 was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman when it was downed. One of the pilots may have sustained minor injuries during the ejection.
The USS Gettysburg, a guided missile cruiser in the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18, CENTCOM reported.
CENTCOM added that a full investigation is underway.
Officials did not disclose the exact mission of the fighter.
The incident occurred Sunday morning in the region between Africa and the Middle East, an area where U.S. military assets have been stationed to protect U.S. personnel, coalition partners, and global shipping interests.
On December 15, CENTCOM announced that the strike group had entered its area of command, which covers the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of South Asia.
The strike group also includes Carrier Air Wing 1, Destroyer Squadron 28, and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers: the USS Stout and USS Jason Dunham, according to CENTCOM.
CENTCOM stated on December 15 that the strike group is deployed to ensure regional stability and security.
This incident occurred as U.S. forces have been defending against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have targeted cargo ships with missile attacks that threaten the global supply chain.
Over the last year, U.S. forces have attacked Houthi facilities and assets in Yemen, including underground storage facilities, command and control locations, missile and radar systems, and drone bases.
“We will continue to make clear to the Houthis that there will be consequences for their illegal and reckless attacks,” said Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder after U.S. forces struck Houthi weapons facilities in Yemen in November.
This year, the Navy has described its back-and-forth with the Houthis as its most intense fighting since World War II.
An estimated 12% of global supplies pass through Red Sea shipping lanes on a typical day.
Following the Oct. 7, 2023 incursion into Israel by Hamas militants based in Gaza, Houthis escalated their attacks. Israel responded with war on the militants, supported by the United States.
Israeli officials reported that about 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas incursion. Hamas fighters took approximately 250 people hostage, with around 100 still held captive, though over a third are believed to be dead, according to an NBC News tally.
Since the war began, Israeli attacks on Gaza have killed more than 45,000 people, most of them women and children, according to Palestinian health officials.
Houthi militants issued a statement on Saturday, condemning Israel’s actions as “massacres against our brothers in Gaza.”
On Saturday morning, a Houthi missile launched from Yemen struck Tel Aviv, injuring 14 people but causing no deaths, emergency services officials in Israel reported. The Houthi rebels noted that Israel’s “Iron Dome” defense failed to intercept the missile.