An American navy F/A-18 Hornet fighter jet was mistakenly shot down by the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg in a "friendly fire" mishap over the Red Sea, the military confirmed.
Both pilots ejected safely, with one having minor injuries. An investigation into the incident is ongoing, according to the BBC.
The mishap occurred amid escalating tensions following the U.S. bombings of Houthi weapons' facilities in Yemen. Houthis is an Iran-backed group in Yemen.
The region has been on high alert since the United States and their allies launched Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect vital shipping routes from attack.
The strikes targeted Houthi facilities and weapons linked to attacks on U.S. and allied ships in the Red Sea that disrupted international shipping.
Central Command said the airstrikes are meant to destabilize the militia, disrupting missile to stop "attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden." The airstrikes also reaffirmed what Jake Sullivan, the White House national security advisor, promised at a press meeting in February.
"We intend to take additional strikes and additional action to continue to send a clear message that the United States will respond when our forces are attacked or our people are killed," Sullivan said.
Houthis claimed an attack on a U.S. ship in the Gulf of Aden in January.
The Houthis claimed their attacks in Israel are in solidarity with Palestinians and have intensified operations since the Gaza conflict began.
Recent Houthi missile strikes damaged vessels and struck Tel Aviv, said the BBC.
Originally published by Latin Times
