News Wrap: 2 U.S. Navy pilots rescued, 1 injured after Red Sea friendly fire incident

John Yang:

Good evening. I'm John Yang. The risks facing U.S. forces targeting Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen came into sharp focus this morning when, according to Central Command, a U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser mistakenly shot down an American fighter jet over the Red Sea. Both pilots of the FA-18 ejected and were recovered alive. One suffered minor injuries.

U.S. Central Command said warships and aircraft had earlier shot down Houthi drones and anti-ship cruise missile. A friendly fire incident is being investigated.

In Gaza airstrikes overnight killed nearly two dozen people, including five children. One strike hit a school that housed displaced people. The Israeli military says it targeted the area because Hamas militants were also sheltered there. The other strike hit a home in Deir al-Balah, where relatives scrambled to find several children who are all sleeping in the living room.

Despite the violence, Israeli authorities allowed a Catholic cardinal into Gaza today to celebrate mass with the small Catholic community there. It came one day after Pope Francis criticized Israel's actions in Gaza.

The Christmas market in Magdeburg, Germany reopened today, two days after a vehicle intentionally plowed into a crowd of people there. The market closed after Friday's crash killed five people and injured about 200 others. Today, visitors try to return to some semblance of normalcy amid increased security. German authorities acknowledged they got a tip in November 2023 from Saudi Arabia about the driver of the car. They say they investigated it but took no action because it was unspecific.

For only the fourth time since 1900, this year Christmas and the first night of Hanukkah fall on the same day. And for many, that means a rush to get home for the holidays.

A TSA spokesperson tells PBS News that on Saturday they screened 2.7 million people at airport security checkpoints. An estimated 107 million people are expected to take to the highways to get to their holiday destinations. And if you're planning to get out of town tomorrow, AAA says the best time to travel will before 11:00 am.

Up next on PBS News Weekend, the painful toll of family estrangement, especially at this time of year, and selling Christmas trees on the sidewalks of New York.