US navy shoots down its own jet during latest aggression on Yemen
US, UK, and Israeli raids have not deterred Yemeni operations in support of Gaza, which include several successful strikes inside Israel with hypersonic ballistic missiles
US Central Command (CENTCOM) confirmed during the early hours of 21 December that one of its warships in the Red Sea “mistakenly” shot down an F/A-18 jet that took part in the latest US-UK aggression on Yemen.
“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, which was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman,” CENTCOM said in a statement.
Both pilots were reportedly recovered alive.
The friendly fire incident took place right after Washington and London conducted a new round of violent airstrikes on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and the port city of Hodeidah in support of Israel and its ethnic cleansing campaign in Gaza.
CENTCOM claimed the attacks targeted “a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis,” as well as “multiple Houthi one-way attack uncrewed aerial vehicles (OWA UAV) and an anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) over the Red Sea.”
Saturday's attacks came hours after a hypersonic ballistic missile launched by Yemen made impact south of Tel Aviv, overcoming the combined defenses of Israel and its allies.
"The armed forces are determined to strike all enemy targets in the occupied territories," the Yemeni Armed Forces (YAF) said following the latest launch of a Palestine-2 missile against Israel.
On Thursday, another YAF ballistic missile evaded Israel's air defenses and struck a building in Ramat Efal.
In response, Israel carried out massive strikes against ports and energy infrastructure in Yemen, seeking to punish Sanaa over its continued support for Gaza, where Israeli forces are committing genocide against Palestinians.
The US and UK launched an illegal war on Yemen at the start of the year, seeking to protect Israeli trade interests and shield the country from the pro-Gaza operations of the Axis of Resistance.
Yemeni operations have been ongoing since November 2023, and Sanaa has vowed not to stop until the genocide in Gaza comes to an end. The daring operations by the YAF against Israel and its allies have forced several US aircraft carriers and European warships out of West Asia.