US Navy F/A-18 downed in "friendly fire" amid airstrikes on Houthi targets in Yemen

Shafaq News/ A US Navy F/A-18 fighter jet was accidentally downed over the Red Sea due to apparent "friendly fire," while the United States carried out airstrikes against Houthis (Ansarallah) in Yemen on Sunday.

CENTCOM stated that "the F/A-18 was operating from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier when it was mistakenly fired upon by the USS Gettysburg, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser. The USS Gettysburg is part of the Truman's carrier strike group, which entered Middle Eastern waters a week ago."

While a full investigation is underway, CENTCOM confirmed that "the incident did not result from hostile action. Iranian-backed Houthi forces in Yemen have repeatedly made false claims about striking US warships."

The incident coincided with US airstrikes against Houthi targets in Yemen on the same day. Centcom confirmed on X that its forces conducted "precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis within Houthi-controlled territory in Sana'a, Yemen, on Dec. 21 Yemen time."

"CENTCOM forces conducted the deliberate strikes to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden."

"During the operation, CENTCOM forces also shot down multiple Houthi one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA UAV) and an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) over the Red Sea," the statement continued.

"The operation involved U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy assets, including F/A-18s."

In "solidarity with Gaza," which is facing Israeli extermination with US support, the Houthis are targeting Israeli or Israel-linked cargo ships in the Red Sea, Arabian Sea, and Indian Ocean with missiles and drones. They are also carrying out missile and drone attacks on Israel, including operations targeting Tel Aviv.

Since early 2024, a US-led coalition has conducted airstrikes on what it claims are "Houthi positions" across Yemen, in response to their maritime attacks, which have occasionally been met with retaliatory actions by the group. With US and UK intervention in January 2024, the Houthis declared that "all American and British ships are now considered military targets."

Since October 7, 2023, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza, resulting in over 46,000 deaths, the majority of whom were civilians, and more than 11,000 missing.