Houthis Claim Saudi F-15 Downed: What Happened In Video Showing Missile Strike And Wreckage?

Yemen’s Houthis on Wednesday claimed they had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib province using a locally made air-to-air missile. The group said the aircraft was carrying out “hostile operations” in support of Saudi military mobilisations. The claim came as the Saudi-led coalition accused the Houthis of targeting Mecca with a drone, a charge the group rejected. A four-minute video released by the Houthis shows what they said was the jet being brought down and its wreckage scattered across rocky desert terrain. The reported shootdown and the separate Mecca allegation have added to the latest confrontation between the two sides amid the wider West Asia conflict.

Houthis show wreckage and fighters in four-minute video

The video starts with footage of the jet being targeted. It then cuts to nighttime scenes showing intense fire and rising smoke on the ground, apparently the immediate aftermath of the crash. Daytime clips later show twisted, blackened metal scattered across the desert. Close-ups include burned structural pieces and a large upright vertical stabiliser bearing markings consistent with Saudi aircraft.

Armed men in a mix of military gear and Yemeni clothing appear around the debris. Some carry rifles, while one gestures towards the remains. The footage also shows Houthi fighters racing across the desert in pick-up trucks. At one point, they fire on an advancing vehicle. “We are conducting now, God willing, an operation to… cut off the enemy,” one fighter can be heard saying.

Houthis accuse Saudi Arabia of 450 strikes

Reportedly, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the aircraft was brought down during operations over Marib province. He accused Saudi Arabia of launching 450 strikes.

“The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah’s aid and grace, 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,” Saree said on social media.

The Houthis said the jet was targeted using a locally made air-to-air missile. The reported loss of the aircraft has not been independently confirmed.

Saudi coalition accuses Houthis of targeting Mecca

On the same day, the Saudi-led coalition battling Yemen’s Houthis accused the group of launching a drone towards Mecca, Islam’s holy city. The allegation sparked outrage across the Muslim world. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed the drone before it entered the prohibited airspace around the city.

“The Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone launched by the Terrorist Houthi Militia before it entered the Prohibited Airspace Area of the Holy City of ‘Makkah Al-Mukarramah’,” the statement posted on X read.

Al-Maliki described the incident as a “terrorist act”. He said the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims was a “red line”. He also said it was the second attempt to target Mecca, referring to a ballistic missile launch in July 2017.

Houthis reject Mecca allegation as conflict widens

The Houthis rejected Saudi Arabia’s claim, calling it “fabrications and lies”.

“The fabrications and lies promoted by the criminal Al Saud regime regarding the targeting of the Honorable Mecca cannot deceive anyone, for it is they who desecrate it with debauchery and licentiousness and by importing prostitutes, and there is no threat from Yemen to the sanctities,” the statement read.

The latest confrontation comes as renewed Houthi attacks and Saudi airstrikes add another front to the wider West Asia crisis. The two sides’ competing claims over the fighter jet and Mecca drone remain central to the latest escalation.

Also Read: Houthi Drone Near Mecca? Saudi Arabia Issues First-Ever Air Alert Around Holy City

The post Houthis Claim Saudi F-15 Downed: What Happened In Video Showing Missile Strike And Wreckage? appeared first on NewsX.