The United States Central Command (CENTCOM) says a fighter aircraft was shot down over the Red Sea in what it claimed to be a case of “friendly fire”, amid Washington’s escalated aggression on Yemeni soil in support of the Israeli regime.

Early Sunday, an F/A-18F Super Hornet was mistakenly shot down, with CENTCOM confirming in a statement that both US Navy aviators on board are safe.

The Super Hornet, assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), was flying over the Red Sea when guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG-64) fired upon it, according to the CENTCOM statement.

“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64), which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18, which was flying off the USS Harry S. Truman,” CENTCOM’s statement reads.

“Both pilots were safely recovered. Initial assessments indicate that one of the crew members sustained minor injuries. This incident was not the result of hostile fire, and a full investigation is underway.”

The Boeing-built Super Hornet is a supersonic, twin-engine fighter aircraft “able to perform virtually every mission in the tactical spectrum,” according to the manufacturer.

The strike group is tasked as part of a US-led coalition to protect merchant traffic in the Red Sea from pro-Palestine retaliatory operations by the Yemeni armed forces, who have over the past year launched dozens of drones, guided cruise, and ballistic missiles at Israeli-owned and –bound shipping in the strategic waterway.

Over the weekend, US forces attacked the Yemeni capital of Sana’a by striking a missile storage facility and a command and control node, according to a Saturday statement from CENTCOM.

The Sunday incident took place a day after Yemen’s military targeted Tel Aviv with a hypersonic ballistic missile, in a fresh operation against the Israeli regime and in support of the Palestinian people in the besieged Gaza Strip.

Yemeni armed forces spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said in a statement on Saturday that the strike was carried out by a “Palestine 2” hypersonic ballistic missile, with the Israeli regime failing to intercept the advanced projectile.

Since the onset of the Israeli regime’s war on Gaza on October 7, 2023—after Palestinian resistance movements launched Operation al-Aqsa Storm—Yemen has declared unwavering support for Palestine’s struggle against the occupation.

The Yemeni Armed Forces have launched regular strikes against Israel as part of a phased escalation campaign.

The campaign has also included a strict maritime blockade of Israeli shipping, effectively preventing vessels from reaching Israeli ports.

Israel has so far killed more than 45,200 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and injured over 107,510 others in Gaza.