Iran-backed Houthi rebels released footage on Wednesday showing the wreckage of a Saudi F-15 fighter jet shot down over Yemen, as their lightning advance puts further pressure on global energy supplies.
The Houthis said in a statement that the US-made high-powered fighter jet was “shot down using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile” while “carrying out hostile operations” over Marib province in central-western Yemen.
A video released by the group shows electronic images of a missile hitting what appears to be a fighter jet, followed by Houthi fighters inspecting the wreckage in a desert area. At one point, the men held up what appeared to be an aircraft tail with a Saudi flag insignia and the identification number 5539.
CNN located the crash site in Marib, Yemen. The location was first identified by the BBC. The Houthis have made no mention of who was on board the plane, and the fate of the fighter’s two crew members remains unknown.
Saudi authorities and Arab coalition leaders have not issued any official statements independently confirming or refuting the shootdown. CNN has reached out to Saudi and US authorities for comment.
Iran-backed Houthis claim to have shot down a Saudi F-15
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels on Wednesday released a video claiming to have shot down a Saudi F-15 with a surface-to-air missile. If confirmed, this would be the second time a US jet has been shot down by enemy fire.
CNN military analyst and retired U.S. Air Force colonel Cedric Layton said the tail markings on the wreckage seen in the video are “consistent” with those of a Saudi F-15SA plane.
The alleged shoot-down coincides with a broader regional escalation of the war between Iran and the United States, including recent rapid developments in Yemen, which has been torn by civil war for years.
The Houthis have recently stepped up their fight against the Saudi-backed Yemeni government and expanded the territory they control. Last week, they captured Yemen’s Red Sea port city and an island near the crucial waterway that for months has served as a backup to the Strait of Hormuz and enabled the export of Saudi oil and refined products.
It has also stepped up deadly attacks against Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, with Riyadh retaliating.
Saudi Arabia has linked the recent operation to a Houthi drone attack targeting the holy city of Mecca. The Saudi Foreign Ministry in a statement this week condemned the Houthi attempt to target Islam’s holy sites and said Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed the drone before it entered restricted airspace.
“Saudi Arabia reiterates its legitimate right to take all necessary measures to protect the safety of the Two Holy Mosques, the pilgrims and visitors they receive, and the entire Saudi territory, people and residents,” the statement added.
The Houthis, who follow the Zaidi Shiite sect and revere Mecca as the holy city, strongly denied Saudi claims, saying their targets were Saudi oil facilities and military bases “far from the holy sites.”
Separately, the Saudi Civil Defense Agency said on Thursday that debris from an intercepted drone fell in Saudi Arabia’s Taif province, killing a Yemeni Saudi resident, injuring a Saudi woman and a Pakistani national, and damaging numerous buildings and vehicles. The agency said in a statement that the drone was fired by forces it described as a “Houthi terrorist militia” and was intercepted and destroyed before debris could fall nearby.
In a subsequent statement, the Houthi-controlled military said Saudi warplanes had carried out 37 airstrikes across Yemen’s Taiz and Hajjah provinces in the past 24 hours, resulting in civilian casualties, including casualties.
CNN could not independently verify the claims, including the number of airstrikes, locations targeted, and reported civilian casualties.
As the war between the United States and Iran drags on, there are growing fears that Saudi Arabia could be drawn into a broader conflict.
If confirmed, the loss of a Saudi fighter jet would be the second time a U.S.-made aircraft has been shot down by enemy fire.
A US Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle was shot down by Iranian forces early in the war.
The shootdown led to a U.S. rescue operation, and the crew was eventually rescued, but several U.S. planes were lost, stranded at a desert landing site, and had to be destroyed.
During the early stages of the Iran war, three U.S. F-15s were also shot down by Kuwaiti friendly fire.
The Saudi F-15SA is one of the newest versions of the twin-engine jet aircraft that has been in the US Air Force inventory since 1976. The Saudi model is based on the F-15E Strike Eagle, which has been the workhorse of the U.S. Air Force since its combat debut during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Saudi Arabia received its last order for Boeing jets in December 2020, according to a US Air Force press release.
CNN’s Eyad Kurdi and Teele Lebane contributed to this report.
