Two US Navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in apparent 'fire' incident, US military says

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) – Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down Sunday over the Red Sea in an apparent “firefight,” the U.S. military said, marking the deadliest attack on U.S. forces in nearly a year by Yemen's Houthi rebels.

Both pilots were found alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, one with minor injuries. But the shootout underscores how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become with naval attacks by the Iran-backed Houthis despite US and European military coalitions patrolling the area.

US forces attacked Yemen's Houthi rebels at the time, although the US military's Central Command did not specify what their mission was and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.

The F/A-18 had just taken off from the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, Central Command said. On Dec. 15, Central Command acknowledged that Truman had entered the Mideast, but did not specify that the carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.

“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, accidentally fired at an F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.

According to the military, the downed aircraft was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet assigned to the “Red Rippers” of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.

It was not immediately clear how Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missiles, especially since the battle group's ships remain in contact with both radar and radio communications.

However, the Central Command said warships and aircraft had earlier shot down several Houthi drones and an anti-ship missile launched by the rebels. Incoming fire from the Houthis gave the sailors seconds to make decisions in the past.

Since Truman's arrival, the US has increased its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile strikes in and around the Red Sea. However, the presence of a group of American warships could trigger a renewed attack by the rebels, as was seen by the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower earlier this year. That deployment marked what the Navy described as its heaviest deployment since World War II.

On Saturday night and early Sunday, US warplanes carried out airstrikes that shook Sanaa, the capital of Yemen held by the Houthis since 2014. The Central Command described the strikes as targeting a “missile storage facility” and a “command and control center,” without elaborating.

Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in Sanaa and near the port city of Hodeida, without giving details of casualties or damage. In Sanaa, the strikes appeared to be mostly targeted at a mountain known as the home of military installations. The Houthis later admitted that the plane was shot down in the Red Sea.

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 a surprise attack by Hamas on Israel that killed 1,200 people and saw 250 others kidnapped.

Israel's offensive in Gaza has killed more than 45,000 Palestinians, local health officials say. Statistics do not distinguish between fighters and people.

The Houthis seized one ship and sank two in the operation which killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have been intercepted by various US- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea or have failed to reach their targets, including Western warships.

The rebels have said they are targeting ships linked to Israel, the US or the United Kingdom to force an end to Israel's campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.

The Houthis have also focused heavily on Israel itself with drones and missiles, leading to retaliation by Israeli planes.