Houthis claim Saudi F-15 fighter jet shot down in Yemen

Yahya Saree, military spokesman for Yemen’s Houthi Ansar Allah movement, has claimed that an F-15 fighter jet belonging to the Saudi Arabian Air Force was shot down.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Yahya Saree announced this on his official account on the X social media platform.

According to the claim, the Saudi F-15 fighter jet was targeted and shot down by a locally produced surface-to-air missile system while conducting military operations over Marib province. Saree also said that a group of other F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets that entered the area to search for the wreckage and provide protection was forced to withdraw following similar missile strikes.

The Houthi spokesman said coalition forces had carried out more than 450 airstrikes over the past week in Yemen’s Taiz, Lahij, Al Jawf, Hajjah, Marib, Saada and Al Bayda provinces. He denied reports that Makkah had been targeted, saying the group had struck only military bases and oil infrastructure.

The Saudi-led Arab coalition had earlier said that air defense systems had intercepted and neutralized a military drone that attempted to enter the airspace in the direction of Makkah.

The claims could not be independently verified. The Saudi authorities have not provided an immediate confirmation of the alleged downing of the F-15.