New Delhi. The fighting between Houthis and Saudi Arabia led coalition in Yemen has intensified. The Houthis have claimed that their forces shot down an F-15 fighter jet of Saudi Arabia in the sky of Marib Governorate of Yemen. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari said that this fighter plane had come to attack during the ongoing military operation against them.
According to Yahya Sari, Saudi F-15 was conducting air action against Houthis in Marib area of Yemen. During this time, Houthi forces targeted him. They claim that the plane was shot down by a locally made surface-to-air missile. F-15 jet was purchased by Saudi Arabia from America.
Houthi shoots down Saudi fighter jet with missile
Al Jazeera, quoting Houthi sources, said that this fighter plane was shot down near Mount Helan, northwest of Marib. However, there was no immediate reaction from the Saudi-led coalition on this claim of the Houthis. Therefore, at present the claim of shooting down a Saudi fighter jet has not been independently confirmed.
The Houthis also claimed that after the downing of the plane, two more Saudi F-15 fighter planes that arrived in search of its debris were also targeted by their fighters. Houthi spokesperson said that their forces also clashed with these two planes.
Saudi carried out more than 450 air strikes in Yemen
The Houthi military spokesman also claimed air strikes by the Saudi-led coalition in the past week. According to Yahya Sari, during this period Saudi fighter planes carried out more than 450 air strikes in different areas of Yemen.
In these attacks, it has been claimed that Taiz, Lahaj, Al-Jouf, Hajjah, Marib, Saada and Al-Bayda were targeted. The Houthi spokesperson said that there have also been incidents of civilian casualties in these air strikes.
The Houthis have said that they will continue to take action to protect Yemen's airspace and their sovereignty. Yahya Sari said that his army will counter any attack or violation of airspace with all available means.
This development has come to light at a time when ground and air fighting between Houthis and Saudi-backed forces is continuously increasing in Yemen. After the increasing attacks by Houthis, Saudi Arabia is also intensifying its military operations. Now this claim of downing F-15 fighter plane shows the increasing military confrontation between the two sides.