Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea on Sunday in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the US military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in more than a year of America targeting Houthi rebels of Yemen.
Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. But the shooting underlines just how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become, with continued attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite US and European military coalitions patrolling the area.
The U.S. military had been conducting airstrikes against Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time of the friendly fire incident, though U.S. Army Central Command did not elaborate on what the pilots’ mission was and did not respond to questions from The Associated Press.
The F/A-18 that was shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, Central Command said. On December 15, Central Command acknowledged that the Truman had entered the Middle East, but did not specify that the carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.
“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.
From the military’s description, the plane that was shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
It was not immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy plane or missile, especially since ships in a battle group remain connected by both radar and radio communications.
Get breaking national news
For news that affects Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you as they happen.
However, Central Command said warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile by the rebels. Incoming enemy fire from the Houthis has given sailors only seconds to make decisions in the past.
Since Truman’s arrival, the US has stepped up its airstrikes on the Houthis and its missile fire in the Red Sea and the surrounding area. However, the presence of a US warship group could spark renewed attacks by the rebels, like what the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That deployment marked what the Navy described as its most intense combat since World War II.
On Saturday night and early Sunday, US warplanes carried out airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen that the Houthis have held since 2014. Central Command described the strikes as targeting a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility,” without elaborating.
Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, without offering information on casualties or damage. In Sanaa, strikes appeared to focus mainly on a mountainside known to be home to military installations. However, there were no images or information released regarding the strikes – which has happened before when airstrikes hit vital facilities for the rebels.
Brig. General Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, released a pre-recorded statement hours later in which he claimed the rebels launched eight drones and 17 cruise missiles in their attack. He also claimed without offering evidence that the Houthis shot down the F/A-18, probably following a pattern of his making exaggerated claims. During the Eisenhower’s deployment, he falsely claimed several times that the carrier had been hit by Houthi fire.
The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023 after Hamas’ surprise attack on Israel that saw 1,200 people killed and 250 others taken hostage .
Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, local health officials say. The tally does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.
The Houthis have seized one ship and sunk two in a campaign that also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by separate US- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military ships.
The rebels maintain they are targeting ships associated with Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the attacked ships have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have also increasingly targeted Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in vengeful Israeli airstrikes.
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country would act “forcefully” against the Houthis, as it has against other allies of Iran, “only in this case we are not acting alone.”
& copy 2024 The Canadian Press
