The US military says two Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea by “friendly fire.” Houthi news

The US military says the incident was not the result of “hostile fire”, as Yemen’s Houthis claim it was their attack on the US aircraft carrier that brought down the plane.

Two US Navy pilots shot down their plane over the Red Sea in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the US military said.

Yemen’s Houthi fighters later claimed on Sunday that they had “targeted” the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman the day before in an operation that led to the “shooting down of an F-18.”

The US Central Command (CENTCOM) said that the two pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their plane, which was bombed early on Sunday, and one of them was slightly injured.

US Central Command said this incident “was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway,” adding that the plane had just taken off from the deck of the Truman.

The Houthis have repeatedly attacked ships linked to Israel in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, waterways vital to global trade. The group tells her Attacks They stand in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has been waging genocide for more than a year, killing more than 45,000 people.

Houthi spokesman Yahya Sarie said in a video statement that the group also launched eight drones and 17 cruise missiles in its attack.

However, US Central Command said warships and aircraft had earlier shot down several Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile fired by Yemeni rebels.

Netanyahu vows revenge against the Houthis

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed on Sunday to respond to the Houthi rebels after they fired a missile at Tel Aviv, warning that Israel would target what he described as the last remaining arm of the “Iranian axis of evil.”

The Houthis struck Israel’s commercial hub on Saturday with what they claimed was a ballistic missile, wounding 16 people and forcing many to leave their homes after the pre-dawn attack.

Netanyahu said in a video statement: “Just as we acted with force against the terrorist arms of the Iranian axis of evil, we will act against the Houthis… with force, determination and cunning.”

Saturday’s attack on Tel Aviv was the second such attack on Israel by the Houthis this week, and one of several since the outbreak of war in Gaza.

US and British forces have repeatedly bombed rebel targets in Yemen in response to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. Israel has also previously struck the Houthis, including by striking ports and energy facilities, after rebel attacks on its territory.

The latest Israeli attack against the Houthis was on Thursday, as Israeli warplanes struck Sanaa for the first time.