What did Yemen’s Houthis claim about the Saudi fighter jet near Marib province?

The Houthis said they shot down a Saudi F15 fighter jet over Marib province while it was supporting military mobilizations. They said the aircraft was hit with a locally made air-to-air missile.

Why did the Houthis say they were targeting Saudi forces instead of Mecca?

Yahya Saree dismissed Saudi claims that the Houthis had targeted Mecca and said their operations focus on Saudi oil facilities and military bases far from sacred sites. He also accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 450 strikes.

What wider conflict developments did the Houthis describe alongside the jet shootdown?

The Houthis said they have been fighting renewed Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces since the civil war reignited in July. They also said they declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, targeted its ships in the Red Sea, and seized the Red Sea coast and Bab al-Mandab Strait last week.

Yemen's Houthis say shot down Saudi fighter jet

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Summary

Yemen’s Houthis said on Wednesday they shot down a Saudi F15 fighter jet over Marib province and claimed it was hit with a locally made air-to-air missile. Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said Saudi Arabia had launched 450 strikes and denied claims that the group targeted Mecca. The Houthis also said their operations target oil facilities and military bases, not sacred sites.

Key Facts

Yahya Saree said the jet was shot down while it was carrying out hostile operations in support of military mobilizations in Marib province.
The Houthis said they used a locally made air-to-air missile against the Saudi warplane.
Saree accused Saudi Arabia of launching 450 strikes.
The Houthis said they have been fighting renewed battles with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces since Yemen’s civil war reignited in July.
The group said it had seized Yemen’s entire Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait in a lightning offensive last week.

By AFP

Published Sep 16, 2026 5:03 pm KST

Iran-aligned Houthi fighters fire from their position in a screengrab from a video said to show Houthi fighters attacking Saudi-backed forces in the location given by the source as al Jawf governorate, Yemen, in this screengrab taken from a video released by Houthi Military Media, Sept. 15. Reuters-Yonhap

SANAA — Yemen's Houthis on Wednesday said they shot down a Saudi fighter jet, claiming a locally made munition was used to target the warplane.

"The Yemeni Armed Forces, with Allah's aid and grace, succeeded in shooting down a Saudi F15 fighter jet while it was carrying out hostile operations in support of its military mobilisations in the airspace of Marib province," Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said on social media, while accusing Saudi Arabia of launching 450 strikes.

He said the jet had been targeted "using a locally made air-to-air missile."

The spokesman also dismissed Saudi claims that the Houthis had targeted the holy city of Mecca this week.

"Our operations target its oil facilities and military bases, which are far removed from the sacred sites," he said.

The Houthis have been engaged in renewed fighting with Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces since Yemen's civil war reignited in July.

The group have also declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and have been targeting its ships in the Red Sea.

In a lightning offensive last week, the Houthis seized control of the entirety of Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait.

The strait has become vital to Saudi crude exports as the wider Middle East war chokes the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.

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