Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea in an alleged “friendly fire” incident, the US military said on Sunday. Both pilots were found alive, and one suffered minor injuries in the incident.

The incident occurred while the US military was carrying out airstrikes on targets Iran-backed Yemeni Houthi rebelsalthough US Army Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was at the time.

“The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on an F/A-18 flying from the USS Harry S. Truman,” Central Command said in a statement.

It was not immediately clear how Gettysburg could have mistaken the F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, especially since the ships in the battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communications.

Earlier Saturday, CENTCOM reported conducting precision airstrikes in Houthi-controlled territory in Sana’a, Yemen, against a missile depot and command and control facility.

The strikes were carried out in response to ongoing Huti attacks on U.S. Navy warships and commercial vessels in the southern Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab Strait, CENTCOM said.

During the operation, CENTCOM forces also shot down several Houthi attack drones, as well as an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea.

Early Saturday morning, rocket fired from Yemen hit the Tel Aviv area, injuring at least 16 people. The Houthis published a statement on Telegram stating that they directed a hypersonic ballistic missile at a military target, which they did not identify.

Since Truman’s arrival, the US has stepped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their rocket fire on the Red Sea and the surrounding area. However, the presence of a group of US warships could provoke new attacks by the rebels, e.g what the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower saw earlier this year. That deployment marked in what the Navy described as its most intense combat since World War II.

Houthi-controlled media reported on Saturday US strikes in Sana’a and around the port city of Hodeida, without offering information on casualties or damage. The attacks in Sana’a seem to have been specifically aimed at the slopes of the mountain, where military installations are known to be located. The Houthis did not admit that the plane was shot down in the Red Sea.

The Houthis aimed about 100 merchant ships with missiles and drones in solidarity with the militant group Hamas since Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip began in October 2023.

The Houthis captured one vessel and sunk two in a campaign that also killed four sailors. They also have other missiles and drones was intercepted by separate US- and European-led coalitions in the Red Sea, or failed to achieve their objectives, which also included Western warships.

The rebels claim they are targeting ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some that were bound for Iran.

The Houthis are also increasingly targeting Israel itself with drones and missiles, resulting in retaliatory Israeli airstrikes.