Yemen's Houthi Rebels Claim to Have Shot Down Saudi F-15 Fighter Jet

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed on the 16th (local time) that they shot down a Saudi Arabian F-15 fighter jet over the skies of Marib Province in northeastern Yemen.

Yahya Saree, the military spokesman for the Houthi rebels, stated in a broadcast statement via the Houthi-run Al Masirah TV that the Saudi jet was shot down by a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile while carrying out hostile operations to support the Yemeni government forces.

He added that the Houthis also fired air defense missiles, which they manufactured, at two formations of Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets that entered Marib's airspace to search for the wreckage of the crashed jet, forcing them to retreat.

Saudi authorities have not issued an immediate response to the Houthi rebels' claims, and the downing of the fighter jet has not yet been independently verified by foreign media.

Saree also claimed that Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets launched more than 450 airstrikes across seven provinces in Yemen over the past week, resulting in civilian casualties.

However, he did not specify the exact scale of the casualties.

He emphasized, "We will continue to mobilize all available means to counter violations of Yemen's airspace and sovereignty."

Dismissing Saudi claims that the Houthi rebels attempted to target Mecca, Saree asserted that they pose no threat to Islamic holy sites and that their cross-border operations target Saudi oil facilities and military bases.

Earlier, the Saudi Civil Defense issued an attack threat alert for Mecca, Islam's holiest site, but lifted it a few minutes later.

In connection with this, the Saudi-led coalition stated that it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi rebel drone south of Mecca.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.