Two U.S. Navy pilots ejected safely over the Red Sea on Sunday after the F/A-18 fighter jet they were in was shot down, apparently by friendly fire, U.S. Central Command said.

The F/A-18 was flying from the USS Harry S. Truman when it was shot down, CENTCOM said in a statement. According to CENTCOM, one of the pilots may have suffered minor injuries during the ejection.

The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group in the region, “erroneously fired at and hit the F/A-18,” it said.

“A comprehensive investigation is underway,” CENTCOM added.

Officials did not provide any information about the hunter’s exact mission.

The apparent accident occurred Sunday morning in the region between Africa and the Middle East, a focus of U.S. military forces assembled to protect U.S. personnel, coalition partners and global shipping interests.

On December 15, CENTCOM said in a statement that the strike group had entered its command area, which includes the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia.

The strike group also includes Carrier Air Wing 1, Destroyer Squadron 28 and two Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers, USS Stout and USS Jason Dunham, according to CENTCOM.

“The Strike Group is deployed to ensure regional stability and security,” CENTCOM said Dec. 15.

The incident came as U.S. forces continued their defense against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, who have targeted cargo ships with missile attacks that threaten the global supply chain.

Over the past year, U.S. forces have launched attacks on Houthi facilities and assets in Yemen, including underground storage facilities, command and control sites, missile and radar systems, and drone bases.

“We will continue to make it clear to the Houthis that their illegal and reckless attacks will have consequences,” Pentagon Air Force press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said after U.S. forces struck Houthi weapons facilities in Yemen in November.

The back-and-forth with the Houthis this year included what the Navy said was the fiercest fighting since World War II.

An estimated 12% of global shipments pass through Red Sea shipping lanes on a typical day.

The Houthis increased their attacks following the invasion of Israel by Gaza-based Hamas militants on October 7, 2023, which Israel, with support from the United States, responded with a war against the militants.

About 1,200 people were killed in Israel in the incursion by Hamas militants, according to Israeli officials. Hamas militants took around 250 people hostage. About 100 people are still being held captive, although more than a third are presumed dead, according to an NBC News tally.

According to Palestinian health authorities, more than 45,000 people, most of them women and children, have been killed by Israeli attacks in Gaza since the war began.

Houthi militants said in a statement on Saturday that Israel’s conduct included “massacres of our brothers in Gaza.”

On Saturday morning, a Houthi rocket fired from Yemen hit Tel Aviv, injuring 14 people but causing no deaths, rescue workers in Israel said. In their statement, the Houthi rebels noted that the missile was not thwarted by Israel’s “Iron Dome” defenses.