Yemen's Houthis claim downing Saudi F-15 with 'surface-to-air missile'

Yemen's Houthis claimed on Wednesday that they had shot down a Saudi F-15 with a domestically produced "surface-to-air missile" while it was conducting "hostile activity" over Marib province, Iranian media reported.

The Houthis also released footage allegedly showing the wreckage of the Saudi fighter jet.

Iran's Tasnim News Agency reported that a statement from Brigadier General Yahya Saree, spokesman for Yemen’s Houthis, said that the F-15 was operating in support of gatherings of forces affiliated with Saudi Arabia.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah's aid and grace, succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F-15 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," Saree said.

Read: Houthi blitz leaves Saudi Arabia exposed, Iran emboldened

According to Tasnim, the statement added that Houthis also confronted Saudi F-15 and “Typhoon” fighter jets over Marib, forcing them to withdraw as they searched for the wreckage of the downed aircraft.

Saree further claimed that Saudi warplanes had carried out more than 450 airstrikes on the provinces of Taiz, Lahij, Al Jawf, Hajjah, Marib, Saada and Al Bayda, resulting in deaths and injuries.

According to Press TV, Mohammed Abdulsalam, head of Yemen’s negotiating delegation and spokesman for the Houthis, said the downing of the Saudi F-15 fighter jet was a "painful blow" to Saudi Arabia and demonstrated an expansion of Yemen’s air defence capabilities.

Abdulsalam, speaking in comments carried by Al Mayadeen, said the downing of the aircraft was a "warning" to the region and the wider world, and showed that Yemen’s ability to protect its airspace and national sovereignty was growing.

“We will defend the skies and sovereignty of our country with all available means against any aggression or violation, and the skies of Yemen will not, God willing, be violated.”

Earlier in the day, Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a drone allegedly launched by the Houthi group near Makkah, the Saudi-led coalition said, while the Houthis denied responsibility for the launch.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki said the drone was intercepted around 6:50pm local time on Tuesday before entering restricted airspace, with its wreckage falling south of the city.

He added that the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims was a “red line”, vowing that the coalition would take measures to deter further attacks.

Read More: Saudi Arabia says Houthi drone intercepted near Makkah, group denies involvement

The incident came a day after the coalition said 13 civilians were injured in missile and drone attacks by the Houthis on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif, with seven homes and two vehicles damaged.

Confrontations between Yemen's internationally recognised government forces and the Houthis have escalated since early July following years of relative calm.

The country has been engulfed in war since the Houthis seized the capital Sanaa and several provinces in 2014, before a Saudi-led Arab coalition intervened in 2015 in support of the internationally recognised government.