Houthi rebels claim to have shot down a Saudi F-15 jet in Marib province and accuse Riyadh of carrying out hundreds of airstrikes in Yemen

Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed on Wednesday that they had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet in Marib province, saying that the aircraft had been hit by a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile. The information was conveyed by the group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, and cited by AFP.

The Houthis also broadcast a video recording that they claimed captured the aircraft at the moment it was shot down. The footage shows the burning fuselage of an aircraft in a desert area, while fighters pose beside part of the wreckage bearing a Saudi flag. The information regarding the aircraft’s downing has not been independently confirmed.

The group claims that Saudi aviation carried out approximately 450 airstrikes in Yemen this week. The Iran-backed Houthis resumed attacks against Saudi Arabia, which supports Yemen’s government forces, after hostilities flared up again in July.

Riyadh, for its part, accused the Houthi movement of launching a drone attack on the holy city of Mecca. The rebels rejected the accusation, saying that their operations target oil facilities and military bases located far from the holy sites.