BBCAn American fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the US military said.
Both crews of the US Navy F/A-18 Hornet escaped safely, and one suffered minor injuries, according to Central Command.
The incident came after the United States carried out a series of air strikes against a missile storage site and command facilities in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, run by Iran-backed Houthi militants.
US Central Command added that it also struck several Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.
The US Central Command confirmed in a statement that a “friendly fire” incident had occurred over the Red Sea.
“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group, accidentally fired and hit the F/A-18 flying off the USS Harry S. Truman,” the statement said. Harry S. Truman.”
It is not clear whether the downed plane participated in the Yemen operation.
Central Command previously said the strikes against targets in Sanaa were intended to “disrupt and weaken Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and commercial vessels in the southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandab, and the Gulf of Aden.”
The US military also said it struck “several Houthi drones or drones, and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea” using “US Air Force and US Navy assets, including F/A-18 aircraft.” .
The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group that controls northwest Yemen, began attacking Israeli and international ships shortly after the Gaza war began in October 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Since November 2023, Houthi missile attacks have sunk two ships in the Red Sea and damaged two others. They have claimed, often falsely, to only target ships associated with Israel, the US or the UK.
Last December, the United States, the United Kingdom and 12 other countries launched Operation Prosperity Guard To protect shipping lanes in the Red Sea from attacks.
ReutersThe Israeli army said on Saturday that its attempts to shoot down a missile launched from Yemen had failed and that the missile had hit a park in Tel Aviv.
Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency medical service, said it treated 16 people who suffered “minor injuries” from shards of glass from shattered windows in nearby buildings.
She added that 14 other people suffered minor injuries on their way to the protected areas and were also treated.
A Houthi spokesman said that the group struck a military target using a hypersonic ballistic missile.
Earlier this week, Israel launched a series of strikes against what it said were Houthi military targets. Hitting ports as well as energy infrastructure in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa.
The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that nine people were killed in the Salif port and Ras Issa oil port.
The Houthis pledged to continue their attacks until the end of the war in Gaza. The United States says its latest attack is part of its commitment to protect itself and its allies.
