WASHINGTON

Two U.S. Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea on Dec. 22 in “an apparent case of friendly fire,” the American military has said.

Both pilots were recovered alive but “initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries,” the United States Central Command said.

“This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.”

CENTCOM said the guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg “mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18” fighter aircraft, which was flown by the Navy pilots off another ship, the USS Harry S. Truman.

The potentially disastrous mistake underscores the dangers of a mission the United States has been involved in for more than a year as Yemen’s Houthi rebels have repeatedly targeted merchant vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden that they say are Israeli-linked.

On Dec. 21, the United States said it struck targets in Yemen’s rebel-held capital, hours after a Houthi rebel missile wounded people in Israel’s commercial hub Tel Aviv. American forces also shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, it said.

The Iran-backed uthi rebels claimed responsibility for the strike on Israel, saying they directed a ballistic missile at “a military target of the Israeli enemy.”

The Israeli military said it failed to intercept the missile, forcing many residents to leave their homes in the early hours.

Houthis have claimed solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel and Hamas have been at war since Oct. 7, 2023.

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