Written by Dwayne Ferreira.
Houthis release dramatic video claiming a Saudi F-15SA fighter jet was shot down over Yemen’s Marib province using a locally made missile.
MARIB, YEMEN — Yemen’s Houthis have released dramatic video footage claiming a Saudi F-15 was shot down over Yemen’s Marib governorate, in what defence analysts say appears to be the first combat loss of Saudi Arabia’s advanced F-15SA variant.
The footage, released by the Houthi movement on Wednesday, appears to show an aircraft being tracked in the night sky before an explosion is seen. Separate video subsequently released by the group shows militants examining scattered and heavily damaged aircraft wreckage.
The Houthis, formally known as Ansar Allah, said the Royal Saudi Air Force aircraft was brought down using what the movement described as a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile.
Saudi Arabia had not publicly confirmed the circumstances surrounding the aircraft’s loss at the time of publication.
WATCH: Footage released by Yemen’s Houthis which they claim shows the targeting and downing of a Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 fighter jet over Yemen.
Wreckage Identified as Saudi F-15SA
Defence publication Jane’s reported that footage from the crash site showed wreckage identifiable as belonging to the Royal Saudi Air Force.
A Saudi national flag can be seen on part of the aircraft’s tail section.
Jane’s further identified the aircraft as an F-15SA — Saudi Advanced — variant of the F-15 Advanced Eagle, based on distinctive components visible in the wreckage associated with the aircraft’s electronic warfare and missile warning systems.
If confirmed as a combat shootdown, the incident would represent the first known combat loss of an Advanced Eagle version of the F-15.
The F-15SA is among the most sophisticated combat aircraft operated by the Royal Saudi Air Force and was developed specifically for Saudi Arabia.
The Houthis said the twin-seat aircraft was operating over Marib governorate, an important region in Yemen that has repeatedly been at the centre of fighting during the country’s long-running conflict.
The fate of the aircraft’s two crew members remains unclear.
Houthis Claim Locally Made Missile Used
Houthi military representatives claimed their air-defence forces used an unspecified locally produced surface-to-air missile to strike the aircraft.
The group also released what it said was targeting footage of the engagement, although that portion of the video has not been independently verified.
A Houthi military spokesman further claimed that other Saudi F-15 fighters and Eurofighter Typhoons searching for the downed aircraft were forced to withdraw.
There has been no independent confirmation of that assertion.
The loss of an F-15SA to a surface-to-air missile, if the Houthi account of the engagement is established, would raise questions about the movement’s developing air-defence capability and its ability to threaten advanced combat aircraft operating over Yemen.
Fighting Between Saudi Arabia and Houthis Escalates
The reported shootdown comes amid a significant escalation in fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis.
Saudi forces and the Iran-aligned Yemeni movement have exchanged airstrikes, missiles and drone attacks as fighting intensifies across several areas of Yemen.
Reuters reported on Thursday that the Houthis have recently expanded their control along Yemen’s Red Sea coastline as Saudi-backed forces attempt to halt their advance.
More than 100,000 Yemenis have been displaced during the renewed fighting, according to Reuters reporting, with some civilians attempting to flee across the Bab el-Mandeb Strait towards Djibouti.
The escalation has also renewed concerns about security around some of the world’s most important maritime trade and energy routes.
The Bab el-Mandeb Strait, separating Yemen from the Horn of Africa, connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and forms part of a major shipping route between Europe and Asia.
Saudi Arabia Yet to Confirm Shootdown
Saudi authorities had not issued a public statement confirming that an F-15SA had been shot down when Jane’s published its assessment.
However, the identifiable wreckage provides stronger evidence that a Royal Saudi Air Force aircraft was lost than was available when the initial Houthi claim emerged.
What remains unconfirmed is precisely how the aircraft came down.
While the Houthis say their missile struck the fighter, independent verification of the missile engagement footage has not yet established the full sequence of events.
The incident therefore remains partly dependent on the Houthi account until Saudi Arabia provides its own explanation or additional independently verifiable evidence emerges.
The reported loss nevertheless comes at a particularly sensitive point in the renewed Yemen conflict, with missile and drone attacks, Saudi air operations and Houthi territorial advances increasing pressure across the region.
🎥 Video released by Houthi military media shows what the group claims is the targeting of the Saudi fighter, followed by footage of wreckage recovered at the crash site.
