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Yemen's Houthi forces claimed Wednesday that they had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib province using a locally made surface-to-air missile.
In a statement carried by Houthi-run Al-Masirah media, military spokesperson Yahya Saree said the aircraft was conducting what the group described as hostile operations over the area in support of Saudi military deployments. The statement gave no further details about the aircraft beyond the claim that it had been brought down.
The Houthis also claimed they had intercepted two Saudi combat formations involving F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets over Marib. The formations were searching for the wreckage of the downed aircraft when locally made missiles forced them to pull back, the statement added.
According to the group, Saudi warplanes had carried out more than 450 airstrikes across Yemen during the week. F-15 and Typhoon aircraft operating from the Khamis Mushait and Taif air bases targeted Taiz, Lahj, Al Jawf, Hajjah, Marib, Saada and Al Bayda, the statement said, resulting in civilian deaths and injuries.
The F-15 is a key component of the Royal Saudi Air Force's combat fleet and has been used extensively in Saudi air operations over Yemen alongside the Eurofighter Typhoon.
The loss would mark the first major Saudi fighter jet loss since 2018, when the Houthis claimed to have shot down Saudi F-15s over Yemen, though Saudi authorities said the aircraft survived and returned to base.
During the latest escalation, the group claimed to have shot down several Saudi reconnaissance drones, including CH-4 and Wing Loong II aircraft, in different parts of Yemen.
Fighting between the Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces has intensified across several fronts, bringing the most serious escalation since a UN-brokered truce halted large-scale fighting in 2022.
The conflict resumed in July and has since spread along Yemen's Red Sea coast, as Houthi forces have made territorial gains while government-aligned forces launch counterattacks.
The Houthis have advanced toward the strategic Bab al-Mandeb Strait, including by taking control of the port city of Mocha and nearby territory. At the same time, government forces have sought to push them back around Taiz and other areas.
The waterway has become an increasingly important part of the fighting because of its role in Red Sea shipping and Saudi oil exports.
The escalation has also spilled directly into Saudi Arabia. On Sept. 8, Houthi forces launched attacks on several southern Saudi cities, including Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran. Saudi authorities said the attacks wounded 73 people, while the Houthis claimed they targeted energy infrastructure in retaliation for Saudi strikes in Yemen.
Saudi authorities, meanwhile, have stepped up security measures after a series of attacks, including an incident Tuesday in which a Houthi drone was intercepted south of Mecca, according to the Saudi-led coalition, and which was denied by the Houthis.
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