US navy shoots down two of its own pilots over Red Sea in ‘friendly fire’ incident
Two US Navy pilots were shot down by their fellow soldiers following a ‘friendly fire’ incident in the Red Sea.
The pilots were shot down accidentally over the Red Sea on Sunday in an area where the US troops have been stationed to target Houthi rebels in Yemen.
After being taken down, the two pilots were recovered alive as they had ejected themselves from the damaged aircraft, the news agency AP reports.
One of the super hornet crew had minor injuries, according to CNN citing initial assessments.
The F/A-18 aircraft – estimated to cost around $70,000,000 – was on a mission from the USS Harry S.Truman when it was ‘mistakenly fired’ by the USS Gettysburg, the US military’s Central Command said.
It said in a statement: ‘The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18.’
But it remains unclear how the Gettysburg mistook a US hornet for an enemy aircraft or missile.
Houthi fighters have also acknowledged the jet being shot down over the sea, while the US military emphasised that the incident was not a result of hostile fire.
It comes after months of increased US military presence in the Red Sea following the war in Gaza and the escalation of tensions in the Middle East.
Houthis – backed by Iran – have been targeting commercial vessels with missiles and drones in the area in response to the Israel-Hamas war in the occupied Gaza Strip which has killed more than 45,000 Palestinian civilians, according to local health officials.
Middle East tensions have been high after Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon were targeted by exploding walkie-talkies, thought to have been orchestrated by the Israeli intelligence services in September.
All eyes are on Syria after the brutal regime of Bashar al-Assad was toppled by the rebel fighters following the long civil war.
The Israeli military has been carrying out operations across Syria following the ousting and subsequent escape of al-Assad to Russia.
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