News - Yemen: Member of Yemen’s Supreme Political Council, Mohammed Ali Al-Houthi, affirmed on Sunday that US terrorist attacks on Yemen will not deter Yemeni support operations for Gaza.

“The US attacks on Yemen are condemned, unlawful terrorist acts that support the terrorism of the Zionist entity,” Al-Houthi stated in a post on his X account.

He added that “the US terrorist attacks highlight their lawless arrogance and criminal practices in the region,” emphasizing that “reckless terrorist actions against Yemen will not stop support operations for Gaza.”

Regarding the downing of the American F-18 fighter jet, Al-Houthi stated: "The Central Command may not reveal the truth about its downing, possibly as a tactic to avoid further collapse of their soldiers' morale and increased pressure from the families of the Navy personnel."

Early Sunday morning, US forces launched airstrikes on the Yemeni capital, Sana’a, and Hodeidah province. Later, the US Central Command admitted to the downing of an F-18 fighter jet but claimed it was due to “friendly fire.”

The US Central Command’s statement alleged that the USS Gettysburg, part of the USS Harry Truman carrier group, mistakenly opened fire and downed the F/A-18 fighter jet after it had taken off from the carrier. The statement claimed both pilots ejected safely, with one sustaining minor injuries.

However, Brandon Weichert, a national security analyst for the National Interest magazine, questioned the US military’s narrative of friendly fire.

Weichert stated, “We’ve reached a very low point as an alleged superpower when ‘friendly fire’ becomes a more credible story than admitting that the Houthis may have downed one of our jets.”

The Associated Press also noted that it remains unclear how the Gettysburg could misidentify an F/A-18 as an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly since combat ships in a carrier group are interconnected via radar and communication systems.

As of now, the Yemeni Armed Forces have not issued any statements regarding the reported downing of the American fighter jet, which had reportedly participated in aggression against Yemen late Saturday night into early Sunday morning.

Significantly, Yemeni Air Defenses have previously shot down 12 of the most advanced US drones, including MQ-9 Reaper drones