WATCH: Houthis claim to have shot down Saudi F-15 with locally made missile; release video

Yemen’s Houthis claimed to have shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet, while Saudi Arabia said it intercepted a Houthi drone south of Mecca, escalating tensions amid the wider West Asia conflict.

Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Wednesday claimed that they had successfully shot down a Saudi fighter jet while it was carrying out what they described as “hostile operations”. The group said the aircraft was targeted using a locally manufactured air-to-air missile.  

"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.

Saree also accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 450 airstrikes.

A video released by the Houthis purportedly shows the Saudi F-15 fighter jet being shot down, along with what appears to be its wreckage in Marib province. The four-minute footage features a series of clips beginning with the alleged targeting of the aircraft, followed by nighttime scenes showing intense flames and thick smoke rising from the ground, apparently depicting the immediate aftermath of the crash.  

Later footage filmed during the day shows scattered, twisted and charred pieces of metal wreckage spread across rocky desert terrain. The video also includes close-up shots of burned aircraft components and a large upright vertical stabiliser carrying markings that appear consistent with those of Saudi aircraft.

Saudi defence intercepted Houthi drone

On Wednesday, the Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis accused the rebels of targeting Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. The allegation sparked outrage across the Muslim world and further intensified the conflict engulfing the region.

Saudi-led coalition forces said that their air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca, stopping it from entering the restricted airspace over the holy city.

"The Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed a hostile drone launched by the Terrorist Houthi Militia before it entered the Prohibited Airspace Area of the Holy City of 'Makkah Al-Mukarramah'", read the statement, using another name for Mecca, posted on X by the coalition's spokesman Turki al-Maliki.

Al Maliki described the incident as a “terrorist act” and stressed that the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims was a “red line”. He said it was the second reported attempt to target Mecca, referring to a ballistic missile launch in July 2017.

Also Read | Will Pakistan send troops to Saudi Arabia? Mecca defence pact faces first big test after Houthi attacks

Houthis denied allegation 

However, the Houthis denied allegation, calling Saudi Arabia's claim "fabrications and lies".

"The fabrications and lies promoted by the criminal Al Saud regime regarding the targeting of the Honorable Mecca cannot deceive anyone, for it is they who desecrate it with debauchery and licentiousness and by importing prostitutes, and there is no threat from Yemen to the sanctities," the statement read.

The latest confrontation has taken place against the backdrop of the broader West Asia conflict, with renewed Houthi attacks and Saudi airstrikes opening yet another front in the regional crisis.

Also Read | Whodunit 1,100 km from Yemen: If Houthis deny Makkah drone strike, who launched it?

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