US fighter jet shot down “by mistake” in Red Sea

They survived the destruction of their plane. Two US Navy pilots were unhurt in a crash Sunday over the Red Sea when their plane was shot down “by mistake” by a missile fired from a US cruiser, the military said .

“Initial analyzes indicate that one of the crew members was slightly injured,” reported the American Central Command for the Middle East (Centcom) in a press release. “The incident was not the result of hostile fire,” the army described, and an investigation was opened for “a suspected case of friendly fire.” According to Centcom, the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg “fired in error (…) and hit” an F/A-18 fighter plane on board which were the two US Navy pilots who had taken off from the carrier -USS Harry S. Truman aircraft.

A naval coalition off the coast of Yemen

The United States has established a multinational naval coalition in the region in response to months-long attacks off Yemen by Houthi rebels, which are disrupting traffic in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, a maritime zone essential for global trade.

On Saturday, the United States claimed to have shot down Houthi military installations in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, a few hours after a shooting, claimed by the rebels, left 16 lightly injured in central Israel. Rebel drones and cruise missiles were also shot down over the Red Sea, according to Centcom.