Houthis claim shooting down Saudi F-15 in Yemen, release visuals

Iran-backed Houthis have claimed shooting down a Saudi F-15 fighter plane in Yemen and shared a video that it says shows the downed aircraft. The Houthis have not said anything about the fate of the pilots.

Iran-backed Houthis on Wednesday claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter plane in Yemen.

Houthis have shared two sets of visuals clubbed together in a single video. In the first set of visuals, a targeting system appears to be engaging the aircraft, and the second set purportedly shows the wreckage of the aircraft and armed men posing with it.

The Houthis have not said anything about the fate of the pilots of the aircraft. The Saudis have not yet commented on the matter.

While the authenticity of the footage has not yet been independently established, The War Zone reported that the aircraft in the footage appears to be an F-15SA, the most advanced variant with the Saudi Air Force. It further noted that the aircraft in the footage appears to have the tail number 5539, which is assigned to the 55th Squadron based at the King Khalid Air Base in the kingdom's southwest.

If confirmed, this would be the first time that the Houthis would have brought down a fighter plane in the conflict.

The development comes amid heightened tensions in West Asia as the Houthis have stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia.

The Houthis have declared a blockade of Saudi Arabia and frequently launched missiles and drones at the kingdom in recent weeks — their attacks on Tuesday forced the closure of the kingdom's main international airport in Jeddah, and alerts were issued in several other cities, including Yanbu, Taif, Abha, and Jazan, and Saudis on Wednesday accused the Houthis of launching a drone attack on Mecca, Islam's holiest city.

Houthis engaging Saudi F-15s, Eurofighter Typhoons, says spokesperson

Houthi military spokesperson Brigadier General Yahya Saree claimed that Houthi forces had shot down a Saudi F-15 while it was conducting operations in support of Saudi-backed forces in the Yemeni city of Marib.

Saree said the Houthis brought down the F-15 from a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile.

Saree claimed that the Houthis also engaged Saudi-15s and Eurofighter Typhoons that subsequently entered Yemen in search of the downed aircraft.

While this would be the first that the Houthis would have downed a jet in the ongoing tensions, TWZ noted that Saudis have previously lost aircraft in Yemen — Saudis have been pursuing a military campaign in Yemen for more than a decade.

According to the report, Saudis have lost around a dozen helicopters, five jets, and as many as 30 drones since 2015.