An American fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent friendly fire incident, according to the US military.

According to Central Command, both crew members of the U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet were able to eject safely, with one person sustaining minor injuries.

The incident came after the US carried out a series of airstrikes against a missile depot and command facilities in the Yemeni capital Sanaa operated by Iran-backed Houthi fighters.

U.S. Central Command added that it also hit several Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.

In a statement, US Central Command confirmed a friendly fire incident over the Red Sea.

“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, accidentally fired at and hit the F/A-18 flying from the USS Harry S. Truman,” the statement said.

It is not clear whether the downed plane was involved in the Yemen operation.

Previously, Central Command said the attacks on targets in Sanaa were aimed at “disrupting and interfering with Houthi operations, such as attacks on U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden”.

The U.S. military also said it struck “several Houthi unmanned aerial vehicles or drones and an anti-ship cruise missile” over the Red Sea, striking “U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy assets, including F/A -18″, used. .

The Houthis, an Iran-backed rebel group that controls northwest Yemen, began attacks on Israeli and international ships shortly after the Gaza war began in October 2023, saying they were acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Since November 2023, Houthi missile attacks have sunk two ships and damaged others in the Red Sea. They have often falsely claimed that they are targeting ships associated only with Israel, the US or the UK.

The USA, Great Britain and 12 other countries launched last December Operation Prosperity Guardian to protect the shipping routes on the Red Sea from attacks.

On Saturday, the Israeli military said its attempts to shoot down a projectile fired from Yemen were unsuccessful and that the missile hit a park in Tel Aviv.

Magen David Adom, the Israeli emergency service, said it treated 16 people who were “minorly injured” by shards of glass from broken windows in nearby buildings.

Another 14 people suffered minor injuries on the way to protected areas and were also treated, it said.

A Houthi spokesman said the group hit a military target with a hypersonic missile.

Earlier this week, Israel carried out a series of attacks against what it said were Houthi military targets. Both ports and the energy infrastructure in the Yemeni capital Sanaa are affected.

The Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that nine people were killed in the port of Salif and the Ras Issa oil terminal.

The Houthis have vowed to continue their attacks until the end of the war in Gaza. The US says its latest attack is part of a commitment to protect itself and its allies.