JERUSALEM – Saturday night was one of high drama as U.S. Air Force jets took off from the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier in the Red Sea, and were joined by Royal Air Force fighters based out of Cyprus to attack Houthi strongholds in Yemen.

CENTCOM Conducts Airstrikes Against Iran-Backed Houthi Missile Storage and Command/Control Facilities in Yemen

TAMPA, Fla. – U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) forces conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by… pic.twitter.com/YRWWQJIweP

— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) December 21, 2024

According to a statement from CENTCOM, “U.S. forces conducted precision airstrikes against a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility operated by Iran-backed Houthis within Houthi-controlled territory in Sana’a, Yemen, on Dec. 21 Yemen time.”

The statement added the target of the missions was to “disrupt and degrade Houthi operations, such as attacks against U.S. Navy warships and merchant vessels in the Southern Red Sea, Bab al-Mandeb, and Gulf of Aden.”

American forces also downed a number of drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, which only goes to prove the U.S. military is capable of downing unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs, far from home.

The US Air Force, together with the Royal Air Force, carried out devastating missile and bomb attacks against the Houthis.

Yesterday, the Houthis attacked Israel with ballistic missiles. pic.twitter.com/ngxMMbdbQC

— Jürgen Nauditt (@jurgen_nauditt) December 22, 2024

The night’s high tension, however, was not limited only to the skies directly above the Yemeni capital Sana’a. Reports emerged of the downing of a USAF F/A-18F “Super Hornet” over the Red Sea after the USS Gettysburg, a guided missile cruiser within the USS Harry S. Truman carrier strike group fired at the airplane.

CENTCOM reports both the pilot and the navigator managed to eject safely, with one sustaining only minor injuries, and the incident was due to critical failures in coordination.

BREAKING | FRIENDLY FIRE FAIL: U.S. NAVY SHOOTS DOWN ITS OWN JET

In a cringe-worthy mistake, the USS Gettysburg took out a U.S. Navy F/A-18 flying off the USS Harry S. Truman during airstrikes on Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Both pilots survived, ejecting safely into the Red Sea.… pic.twitter.com/5AWEyy6LWW

— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) December 22, 2024

The mishap is indeed curious because unless aircraft are on covert missions, they are supposed to fly with Identification Friend or Foe, or IFF, transponders activated to prevent exactly this type of incident.

The action by coalition forces came less than 24 hours after the Houthi fired a ballistic missile at central Israel at approximately 3:45 a.m. local time, which struck Tel Aviv wounding at least 16 people.