TEHRAN – A U.S. Navy fighter jet was lost in the Red Sea following a heavy assault on an American aircraft carrier by Yemeni forces.   

F/A-18E Super Hornet plunged into the Red Sea after sliding off the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman during an evasive maneuver in a desperate attempt to dodge incoming Yemeni missile fire. 

According to CNN, a U.S. official said the Truman made a sudden, sharp turn to evade incoming fire, which caused the jet to slide off the deck and into the sea. 

Navy officials stated that the F/A-18 was being towed through the hangar bay when the crew lost control causing the jet to fall overboard. 

“The aircraft and tow tractor were lost overboard,” the U.S. Navy said in a statement. “Sailors towing the aircraft acted quickly to move clear before it fell. An investigation is underway.” 

Another U.S. official told CNN that the jet has since sunk. Other reports suggest the fighter jet slipped when Yemeni fire forced the aircraft carrier to make a “hard turn”. 

Each F/A-18 Super Hornet costs more than $60 million. 

Earlier, Yemeni forces claimed responsibility for a military operation targeting the Harry S. Truman and its escort ships in the Red Sea. 

The government in Sanaa described the strikes as a swift and direct retaliation for two massacres carried out by the U.S. in Saada and the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. 

Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesperson for the Yemeni Armed Forces, stated the attack involved naval units, drones, and missile forces, which launched cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, and drones at the carrier. 

Saree said the assault forced the Truman to retreat from its original position and move to the far northern area of the Red Sea. 

He added that the operation was “in response to two massacres committed by the American enemy in Yemen, the first in the capital, Sanaa, and the second targeting a shelter housing African migrants in Saada Governorate, resulting in dozens of civilian casualties.” 

The Yemeni Armed Forces vowed to continue targeting the carrier and any hostile warships in both the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea until U.S. aggression against Yemen ends. 

In solidarity with the Palestinian people and Gaza’s resistance fighters, Yemeni drones also targeted a strategic Israeli site in the occupied Ashkelon area using a Yafa drone. 

Saree affirmed that the Armed Forces will continue blocking Israeli navigation in the Red and Arabian seas and support Palestinians until the U.S.-backed genocidal war ends and the siege on Gaza is lifted. 

Yemeni forces have repeatedly launched attacks on U.S. warships since America increased its military presence in the region to protect Israeli interests, which Ansarallah targets in solidarity with the people of Gaza.