Yemen's Houthis Hit Saudi F-15 and Oil Facilities... Secret US-Houthi Meeting Reported?

[Anchor]

Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels have released video footage claiming they shot down a Saudi Arabian F-15 fighter jet. With the Houthi rebels even bombing Saudi oil facilities, the conflict in the Middle East is escalating further.

Reporter Jang Min-seong has the details.

[Reporter]

This is the footage released by the Houthi rebels, who claimed they intercepted a Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 fighter jet.

Lights presumed to be anti-aircraft missiles soar into the dark night sky, and armed men are seen taking commemorative photos in front of debris reduced to ashes or lifting up parts of the wreckage.

The Saudi Arabian national flag pattern is also visible on the upper section of wreckage that appears to be a tail fin.

The Houthi rebels further claimed that they launched precision strikes using dozens of ballistic missiles and suicide drones against facilities of the state-owned oil giant Aramco in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.

Yanbu is an alternative export port through which Saudi Arabia ships crude oil following Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

Along with this, the Houthi rebels claimed they also struck the King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait with multiple ballistic missiles.

At the same time, they emphasized that this attack was a legitimate retaliatory measure against the indiscriminate airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition.

[Houthi Rebel Spokesperson : With God's grace, we struck our targets accurately and directly, causing major fires and widespread damage.]

While the fierce offensive by the Houthi rebels continues, Saudi Arabia is cornered in a difficult position where it cannot launch an all-out war against the Houthis due to concerns over additional damage to oil facilities and a wider escalation.

Meanwhile, foreign media reports emerged that shortly after the Houthi rebels seized a strategic stronghold along the Red Sea coast, U.S. government officials and Houthi representatives held a secret meeting in Oman.

It is reported that during the secret meeting, the Houthi delegation conveyed to U.S. officials that they have no intention of attacking U.S. vessels and will abide by the ceasefire agreement reached with the United States last year.

(Video Editing: Kim Jun-hee)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.