US army says two navy pilots shot down over Red Sea in ‘friendly fire’
Al Jazeera
Incident not result of ‘hostile fire’, says US military, as Houthis claim their attack on US carrier downed aircraft.
Two United States navy pilots have been shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, says the US military.
Yemen’s Houthi fighters later on Sunday claimed they had “targeted” the aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman a day earlier in an operation that led to “shooting down an F-18 aircraft”.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their aircraft, which was struck early on Sunday, with one suffering minor injuries.
This incident “was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway”, CENTCOM said, adding that the aircraft had just flown off the deck of Truman.
The Houthis have repeatedly attacked Israel-linked ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, waterways vital to global trade. The group says its attacks are in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has been waging a genocide for more than a year, killing more than 45,000 people.
