WASHINGTON, Dec 22, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Two US Navy pilots were shot down over 
the Red Sea early Sunday in "an apparent case of friendly fire," the American 
military said.

Both pilots were recovered alive but "initial assessments indicate that one 
of the crew members sustained minor injuries," the United States Central 
Command said late Saturday local Florida time -- where CENTCOM is 
headquartered.

"This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation 
is underway."

CENTCOM said the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg "mistakenly fired on 
and hit the F/A-18" fighter aircraft, which was flown by the Navy pilots off 
another ship, the USS Harry S. Truman.

The potentially disastrous mistake underscores the dangers of a mission the 
United States has been involved in for more than a year as Yemen's Huthi 
rebels have repeatedly targeted merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of 
Aden that they say are Israeli-linked.

On Saturday the United States said it struck targets in Yemen's rebel-held 
capital, hours after a Huthi rebel missile wounded people in Israel's 
commercial hub Tel Aviv.

American forces also shot down multiple Huthi drones and an anti-ship cruise 
missile over the Red Sea, it said.

Huthis have claimed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel and 
Hamas have been at war since October 7, 2023.