Yemen’s Houthis claim downing Saudi F-15 over Marib
Shafaq News- Sanaa
Yemen’s Houthis (Ansarallah) on Wednesday said they had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib with a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile, as Riyadh reported intercepting a Houthi drone south of Mecca.
Military spokesperson Yahya Saree noted that the aircraft was conducting operations over Marib when it was hit, adding that Houthi forces subsequently engaged formations of Saudi F-15 and Typhoon jets searching for the wreckage, forcing them to withdraw.
بيانٌ صادرٌ عنِ القواتِ المسلحةِ اليمنيةِبسمِ اللهِ الرحمنِ الرحيمِقالَ تعالى: { یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوۤا۟ إِن تَنصُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ یَنصُرۡكُمۡ وَیُثَبِّتۡ أَقۡدَامَكُمۡ } صدقَ اللهُ العظيمشنَّ الطيرانُ الحربيُّ السعوديُّ خلالَ هذا الأسبوعِ أكثرَ من 450 غارةٍ جويةٍ من… pic.twitter.com/R8KVtGqxXW
— العميد.يحيى سريع (@Yah_Saree) September 16, 2026
Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm the loss of the fighter jet.
Saree accused Riyadh of carrying out more than 450 airstrikes this week from Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases across Taiz, Lahj, Al-Jawf, Hajjah, Marib, Saada, and Al-Bayda, resulting in “civilian casualties.”
He also dismissed Saudi allegations that the group had attempted to strike Mecca as “fabrications and lies,” insisting, “There is no threat whatsoever from Yemen to the holy sites. Our operations target their oil facilities and military bases and are far removed from the holy places.”
Earlier Wednesday, Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Malki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, said Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone at 6:50 p.m. local time on Tuesday before it entered restricted airspace around Mecca. He placed the interception south of the city and accused the group of attempting to strike Mecca for a second time, citing a ballistic missile launch in July 2017 as the first.
— المتحدث الرسمي باسم قوات التحالف (@CJFCSpox) September 16, 2026
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