Have shot down Saudi F-15 fighter jet with locally made missile, say Houthis
A Saudi F-15 fighter jet has been knocked out of the skies over Yemen, according to the Houthis, who say they used a locally manufactured missile to bring down the warplane over Marib province. The claim comes amid a sharp escalation in fighting, with the group accusing Saudi Arabia of conducting hundreds of airstrikes across Yemen.
The Yemeni Armed Forces, which is the military wing of the Iran-backed Houthis, said the fighter jet was conducting operations in support of Saudi military activity in the area.
"The Yemeni Armed Forces succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F15 fighter jet while it was carrying out hostile operations in support of its military mobilisations in the airspace of Marib province, using a locally made air-to-air missile," a Houthi military spokesman said in a statement shared on X.
The Houthis also claimed that Saudi Arabia had carried out more than 450 airstrikes across Yemen during the week.
According to the statement, Saudi warplanes had carried out strikes using F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets launched from Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases. The strikes targeted Yemen's Taiz, Lahj, Al-Jawf, Hajjah, Marib, Saada and Al-Bayda provinces. The Houthis said civilians were among those killed and wounded.
The group said its forces later conducted a defensive operation against two Saudi formations of F-15 and Typhoon aircraft over Marib. The Saudi aircraft were searching for the wreckage of the downed fighter jet when they were targeted with locally made missiles and forced to retreat.
Hours later, in a separate statement, the Yemeni Armed Forces claimed they also shot down a Saudi Wing Loong 2 armed reconnaissance drone over Marib, saying the aircraft was conducting hostile operations when it was targeted.SAUDI-HOUTHI FIGHTING ESCALATES
Fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has intensified, opening another front in a wider Middle East conflict. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree has claimed that the group launched drone and missile attacks on Saudi Arabia, including against the Red Sea oil port of Yanbu and an airbase at Khamis Mushait.
The Houthis have repeatedly launched drones and missiles towards Saudi Arabia over the past week, with the escalation reaching close to Mecca, Islam's holiest city. Saudi Arabia said its air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday before it entered the city's restricted airspace. Riyadh described the incident as crossing a "red line".
The Houthis denied targeting Mecca and accused Saudi Arabia of using the incident for propaganda.
The widening Saudi-Houthi confrontation is also adding pressure to an already strained global energy market.
The conflict comes amid disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following the months-long US-Israeli war with Iran. Traders have warned that a prolonged shutdown of Saudi Arabia's East-West Pipeline could affect as much as 4 per cent of global oil supply. The pipeline provides an alternative route for Saudi crude exports when shipments through the Strait of Hormuz are disrupted.
Saudi Arabia has led a coalition fighting the Houthis since 2015. The conflict had largely eased under a ceasefire in recent years, but violence has sharply intensified this month. The Houthis have also expanded their attacks and military operations along Yemen's Red Sea coast and around the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
Houthi officials have sought to portray the claimed downing of the F-15 as evidence that their air-defence capabilities are improving.
Mohamed Abdul Salam, a member of Ansar Allah's political bureau, described the shoot-down as a "major scandal" for Saudi Arabia and said it demonstrated the growing capabilities of Yemen's air defences. He also warned that Saudi pilots could face greater risks in future missions over Yemen.
Saudi Arabia has not, in the material provided, confirmed the loss of an F-15 fighter jet.- EndsWith inputs from agenciesPublished By: Satyam SinghPublished On: Sep 16, 2026 21:22 IST
