In a significant "friendly fire" incident, a US Navy F/A-18 Hornet was mistakenly shot down over the Red Sea by the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group. US Central Command has stated that both men on board the jet were successfully able to bail out of the aircraft and that one of them had been injured slightly.
This tragedy took place during the recent successive US air raids against Iranian-supported Houthi rebels in Yemen, which aimed at concentrating missile depots, command centers, drones, and an anti-ship cruise missile at Sanaa, the capital, and over the Red Sea. These strikes are part of broader efforts to "disrupt and degrade Houthi operations," which include attacks against US Navy warships and merchant vessels in strategic maritime regions such as the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden.
It also opens questions about the collaboration between its air and naval operations when it comes to operations in the Middle Eastern theater. It was unclear details of whether the F/A-18 that was downed was part of the Yemen operation to begin with.
Houthis, an Iran-backed group operating from the North West of Yemen have upped their maritime attacks, especially on Israel and international vessels, as a show of support to Palestinians as soon as the Gaza war began in October 2023. These actions have led to massive interference with sea operations, with two ships sunk since November 2023.
Due to the increasing security threat to maritime traffic in the Red Sea, the US, UK, and other countries began Operation Prosperity Guardian in December. However, regionally, the conflict stings on with recent Israeli air raids on the Houthi’s facilities in Yemen, which have facilities to train the drones that it uses to conduct attacks deep into the Israeli territory and also a Houthi surface-to-surface missile blindly launched on Tel Aviv that only caused minor injuries from flying debris and due to broken glasses.
This latest episode of the US military aggression shows that there is insecurity in the region and all the horns of difficulties confronting any country intending to launch its forces there.
