U.S. military mistakenly downs its own fighter jet over Red Sea, amid intensifying operations in the area
The U.S. military said it mistakenly shot down one of its own fighter aircraft over the Red Sea early on Sunday, forcing both pilots to eject.
Both were rescued, one with minor injuries, after the “apparent case of friendly fire,” which is being investigated, U.S. Central Command said in a statement.
The fighter was an F/A-18 Hornet flying off the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman. One of the carrier’s escort ships, the missile cruiser Gettysburg, “mistakenly fired on and hit” the plane, the statement said.
On Saturday, the U.S. military conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by the Houthis in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
The U.S. military also said it struck multiple Houthi one-way drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.
Saturday’s strike followed another one last week by U.S. aircraft against a command-and-control facility operated by the Houthis.
Similarly, the Zionist forces launched strikes on Thursday against ports and energy infrastructure in Yemen and threatened more attacks against the group.
In retaliation, the Houthis hit on Saturday a “military target” in central occupied Jaffa with a hypersonic ballistic missile” named “Palestine 2,” injuring at least 16 people.
“The missile hit its target accurately, and the defences and interception systems failed to intercept it,” Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised speech.
