Yemen's Houthi movement claims it shot down a Saudi Arabian F-15 fighter jet over Marib province, releasing dramatic footage that appears to show the aircraft's wreckage scattered and burned across rocky terrain. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree announced the downing on Wednesday, saying the jet was struck by a locally made surface-to-air missile while flying in support of Saudi-backed forces in the area. The released video shows armed Houthi fighters posing beside large sections of charred debris, including what appears to be a tail section bearing the Saudi flag emblem. Saree also claimed two more Saudi F-15s that arrived to search for the wreckage were confronted and forced to retreat, though none of these claims have been independently confirmed by Saudi authorities.

The alleged downing comes amid a sharp escalation in hostilities, with Saree claiming Saudi Arabia has carried out more than 450 airstrikes across multiple Yemeni provinces in recent days. Saree also used the announcement to push back on accusations from the Saudi-led coalition, denying that the Houthis were behind a drone intercepted near Mecca and insisting their operations are aimed strictly at military and oil targets rather than religious sites. If verified, this would mark the latest in a string of aircraft losses tied to the region's ongoing conflict, though Houthi claims of downed jets have been disputed before, including a similar unverified report back in 2018. For now, Riyadh has stayed silent on the wreckage footage, leaving the true fate of the fighter jet unconfirmed.