The Pentagon has issued a bulletin cautioning pilots flying in Africa of the possibility of hostile fire during military training exercises in Ethiopia and South Sudan.
In the notice, the United States Africa Command (AFRICOM) warned that the threat may come in the form of non-hostile actions by Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who are battling the Yemeni government.
“Iran-backed Houthi militias in southern Yemen reportedly aim at aircraft conducting military exercises in Ethiopia and South Sudan,” the bulletin stated.
“If Iranian-backed Houthi militias fire at the exercise flights, the aircraft would be able to return to base without incident,” it continued.
“However, we continue to assess whether other hostile actions could be taken to disrupt operations or impede training or refuelling access that could lead to hostile actions.”
The notice was issued after fighter jets from nearby Djibouti intercepted a Yemeni rebel drone last month over a training exercise in Ethiopia.
The drone was not reported to be armed.