Yemen’s Houthi rebels fired surface-to-air missiles at a US fighter jet over the Red Sea in the first attack of its kind, Fox News reported Saturday.
U.S. military officials are describing the launch as a significant escalation in the Iran-backed group’s ongoing conflict with Israel’s allies in the war with Gaza.
The missile fired at the American warplane did not hit its target, according to the report.
The F-16 fighter was flying over the Red Sea when the Houthis fired surface-to-air missiles targeting the jet, which was flying outside of rebel-controlled areas of Yemen.
Senior U.S. military officials told Fox this was the first time the Houthis fired SAMs at an American F-16.
U.S. military ships are stationed in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait to defend and escort commercial ships in order to protect them from Houthi attacks, which started in earnest after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel that sparked the war in Gaza.
Now, officials in Washington will have to decide how to counter the Houthis, which were removed from the State Department’s terror list in 2021 and returned in January 2024 after they started their campaign in support of Hamas.
The Navy shot down or intercepted all of the missiles and drones fired at their warships by the Houthis so far, though sometimes the interceptions have occurred seconds before impact.
