Two US Navy pilots were shot down over the Red Sea on Sunday in an apparent “friendly fire” incident, the US military said, marking the most serious incident to threaten troops in over a year of America targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels.

Both pilots were recovered alive after ejecting from their stricken aircraft, with one suffering minor injuries. 

But the shootdown underlines how dangerous the Red Sea corridor has become amid ongoing attacks on shipping by the Iranian-backed Houthis despite US and European military coalitions patrolling the area.

The US military had conducted air strikes targeting Yemen’s Houthi rebels at the time, though the US military’s Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was and did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press.

The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, Central Command said. 

On Dec 15, Central Command acknowledged the Truman had entered the Middle East, but had not specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.