Houthis claim Saudi F-15 shot down over Yemen

Yemen’s Houthi movement says its forces have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib Governorate, releasing video that appears to show the aircraft being struck and its wreckage on the ground.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the aircraft was targeted with “a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile.” He also claimed Houthi forces subsequently confronted two waves of Saudi F-15 and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft sent to the area to locate the wreckage.

The precise timing of the alleged shootdown has not been disclosed, and Saudi Arabia has yet to publicly confirm the loss of an aircraft.

Video distributed by the Houthis appears to show an air-defence unit tracking a fighter before launching a missile. The aircraft is then apparently hit and falls towards the ground in flames. The footage does not establish whether the pilot ejected or survived.

Separate images from the reported crash site show Houthi fighters gathered around aircraft debris, including a tail section displaying Saudi markings. Fighters are shown raising the wreckage and chanting anti-American and anti-Israeli slogans.

Ansar Allah has previously claimed to have brought down Saudi combat aircraft, including incidents reported in 2017 and 2018. Riyadh disputed those earlier accounts, which lacked the kind of visual evidence released following the latest alleged shootdown.

The incident comes amid renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis after several years of reduced hostilities following the 2022 ceasefire. Clashes intensified again in July, with Saudi airstrikes on Yemen followed by Houthi attacks against targets inside the kingdom.

Houthi forces have also recently expanded their position along Yemen’s western coastline, including taking control of Mocha and strengthening their presence around the strategically important Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The waterway is a major route for international shipping and Saudi energy exports.

Saree separately claimed on Wednesday that Houthi forces had attacked a Saudi airbase at Khamis Mushait and Aramco facilities in Yanbu using ballistic missiles and drones. Saudi authorities have not confirmed those claims.