A US F/A-18 fighter aircraft was mistakenly shot down over the Red Sea early on Sunday in what military officials are calling "an apparent case of friendly fire."
The two US Navy pilots ejected safely, one with minor injuries, according to a news release from US Central Command (CENTCOM).
The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the aircraft, that was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman, according to the news release.
The military said a full investigation is underway.
Several hours earlier, the military said that the US forces conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by the Houthis in Yemen.
During the operation, the US forces also shot down multiple uncrewed aerial vehicles and an anti-ship cruise missile.
CENTCOM said the deliberate strikes aimed to disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden
