Two American Navy pilots were reportedly shot down in a case of so-called friendly fire, according to the US military.
The incident, which occurred over the Red Sea on Sunday, marks the most serious threat to US troops in over a year of targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels.
Both pilots ejected from their aircraft and were recovered alive, with one sustaining minor injuries, according to AP reports. The Houthis later claimed responsibility for shooting down the aircraft in the Red Sea.
The incident highlights the increasing dangers of the Red Sea corridor, as Iranian-backed Houthi rebels continue to launch attacks on shipping despite the presence of US and European military patrols in the region.
It comes after a series of intense Israeli airstrikes shook Yemen's rebel-held capital and a port city early on Thursday and killed at least nine people.
The US military had conducted airstrikes targeting Yemen's Houthi rebels at the time, though the US military's Central Command did not elaborate on what their mission was.
The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier, Central Command said.
On December 15, Central Command acknowledged that the Truman had entered the Middle East, but had not specified that the carrier and its battle group was in the Red Sea.
"The guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18," US Central Command said in a statement.
From the military's description, the aircraft shot down was a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet assigned to the "Red Rippers" of Strike Fighter Squadron 11 out of Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia.
It was not immediately clear how the Gettysburg could mistake an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly as ships in a battle group remain linked by both radar and radio communication.
However, Central Command said that warships and aircraft earlier shot down multiple Houthi drones and an anti-ship cruise missile launched by the rebels.
Incoming hostile fire from the Houthis has given sailors just seconds to make decisions in the past.
Since Truman's arrival, the US has stepped up its airstrikes targeting the Houthis and their missile fire into the Red Sea and the surrounding area.
However, the presence of an American warship group may spark renewed attacks from the rebels, like what the USS Dwight D Eisenhower saw earlier this year.
The Houthis have targeted about 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023.
The Islamist Shia militant group is allied to Tehran, as are Hamas and Hezbollah, and all are seeking to reduce Western influence in the Middle East. Its slogan includes the words “death to America”, “death to Israel”, and “a curse upon the Jews”.
Houthi rebels in Yemen previously said that they will continue sinking British ships following the sinking of a UK-linked vessel in March.
