ADEN, Yemen, Dec. 22 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's Houthi group said it attacked a U.S. aircraft carrier with eight cruise missiles and 17 drones and downed a U.S. fighter jet on Sunday.

The group successfully struck aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman and its escorts, thwarting the joint U.S.-British attack on Yemen, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said in a statement, aired by Houthi-run al-Masirah TV.

"Our forces shot down an American F/A-18 fighter jet during the operation as it attempted to intercept our missiles and drones," Sarea added.

Earlier on Sunday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement that two U.S. Navy pilots ejected safely after their fighter jet was shot down over the Red Sea in an apparent "friendly fire" incident.

"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," CENTCOM said.

The incident came the same day U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on a missile storage facility and a command-and-control facility reportedly operated by the Houthis within Sanaa, and shot down multiple Houthi one-way attack drones and an anti-ship cruise missile over the Red Sea, according to a separate statement by CENTCOM.

Since November 2023, the Houthis have been carrying out rocket and drone attacks on Israeli cities and disrupting "Israeli-linked" shipping in the Red Sea.

In response, the U.S.-led navy coalition stationed in the area has been conducting regular air raids on Houthi targets since January in a bid to deter the armed group. ■