Houthis claim to have shot down Saudi F-15 over Marib in Yemen
Yemen's Houthis said they had shot down an F-15 fighter jet of the Royal Saudi Air Force over Yemen's Marib province. The group's military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, claims that the aircraft was allegedly hit by a locally produced surface-to-air missile.
Houthi statement about the aircraft
Saree did not specify the time of the alleged incident. At the same time, he said that Royal Saudi Air Force aircraft had carried out more than 450 airstrikes since the beginning of the week.
According to the spokesperson, the Houthis also repelled two groups of F-15 and Typhoon fighter jets that were allegedly searching for the aircraft's wreckage. He claims that the same locally produced surface-to-air missiles were used for this purpose.
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The Jerusalem Post reports on the statement by the Houthi representative. The outlet notes that the group is supported by Iran.
Denial regarding Mecca
Saree also denied accusations that a drone had been directed at Mecca. He said that there was no threat from Yemen to the holy sites of Mecca and Medina, and that Houthi operations, according to him, were aimed at oil facilities and military bases.
The Saudi coalition in Yemen said on Wednesday that Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi-launched drone on Tuesday before it entered restricted airspace over Mecca. Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Maliki called this the Houthis' second attempt to attack the city after the launch of a ballistic missile in July 2017, which the coalition had previously reported.
