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The U.S. Air Force and Navy rescued two Saudi pilots Friday after they ejected from their F-15 fighter over the Gulf of Aden during combat operations against Houthi rebels in Yemen.

The Saudi jet apparently suffered some mechanical problem forcing the pilots to eject. A U.S. Air Force Pave Hawk special operations helicopter and crew were dispatched from Djibouti to rescue the Saudi pilots.

Although their conditions are unknown, they were reported to be ambulatory. The Saudi jet and the two pilots went down in international waters. The rescue operation was coordinated by the USS Sterett, a guided-missile destroyer.

The entire operation took two hours. Saudi Arabia Thursday announced it bombed military installations in Yemen to weaken the Shiite rebels who chased the president out of the country.

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— Jim Miklaszewski