(StraightShooterNews.com) – In a shocking incident that raised serious questions about military competence and readiness, the U.S. military confirmed that two Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea by friendly fire from their own ship.
Read the tweet below.
The U.S. military confirmed that the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit an F/A-18 aircraft.
This friendly fire incident occurred while U.S. forces were conducting airstrikes against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who have been relentlessly attacking shipping in the Red Sea.
Fortunately, both pilots survived the incident. They were recovered alive, with one sustaining minor injuries.
Moreover, the friendly fire incident comes amid escalating tensions in the Red Sea region. Since the Israel-Hamas conflict began in October 2023, Houthi rebels have been targeting merchant vessels and military ships with missiles and drones.
These attacks have disrupted vital shipping lanes and significantly threatened international commerce and security.
Central Command said in a statement, “This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.”
The U.S. military has increased its presence in the region to counter the Houthi threat. The USS Harry S. Truman, from which the ill-fated F/A-18 had launched, had recently entered the Mideast.
This deployment has led to an uptick in U.S. airstrikes against Houthi targets, including recent strikes on a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility” in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.
Although the U.S. military focuses on combating the Houthi menace, Israel is also taking action as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has declared that Israel will act “forcefully” against the Houthis, as it has against other Iranian proxies.
There are even discussions about potentially striking Iran directly over these attacks, signaling a potential escalation of the conflict.
The Houthis, for their part, continue to claim they are targeting ships linked to Israel, the U.S., or the UK. However, many of the attacked vessels have no connection to the ongoing conflict, revealing the indiscriminate nature of their assaults.
As the investigation into the friendly fire incident unfolds, it is crucial that military leaders take swift and decisive action to prevent such errors from occurring in the future.
Two U.S. Navy pilots ejected safely over the Red Sea after their F/A-18 fighter aircraft was mistakenly shot down early Sunday in what military officials are calling "an apparent case of friendly fire." https://t.co/VBZS0ERplg
— ABC News (@ABC) December 22, 2024
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