Houthis claim they downed a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Yemen

Houthi forces in Yemen claimed on Wednesday they had downed a Saudi F-15 fighter jet while it was conducting operations over Marib province — a claim that, if confirmed, would mark one of the heaviest air blows against the Saudi coalition in recent days. The group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a statement the jet was hit “in the face of brutal aggression against our country and our people”, using what he described as a domestically produced surface-to-air missile.

Local sources told Al Jazeera the plane was downed near Mount Helan, northwest of the city of Marib, a contested area where fighting between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces has escalated recently. Saree said Houthi forces also “engaged” two other Saudi F-15 jets that were searching for the wreckage of the initially downed aircraft. The Saudi-led coalition had not yet commented on the claim.

In the same statement, Saree accused the Saudi coalition of carrying out more than 450 airstrikes over the past week against the provinces of Taiz, Lahj, al-Jawf, Hajjah, Marib, Sadah and al-Bayda, also recording civilian casualties. He warned that Houthi forces would “continue to defend the country’s airspace and sovereignty from any aggression or violation with all available means”.

The claim comes at a moment of high regional tension: the Houthis themselves have taken control of parts of the Red Sea coast near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, while Saudi Arabia has escalated its air campaign in Yemen in response to the wave of missile and drone attacks against Saudi cities.

Source: Al Jazeera — https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2026/9/16/iran-war-live-irans-top-diplomat-heads-to-china-as-war-drags-on