Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the aircraft was brought down with a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile while conducting what he described as hostile operations over Marib. He gave no details about the aircraft’s crew, the precise location of the alleged crash or when the engagement occurred.
Saudi Arabia’s government and the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen had issued no public confirmation of an aircraft loss by Wednesday afternoon. No independently authenticated imagery of wreckage or other evidence establishing the loss of an F-15 was available at the time of publication.
Saree also said Houthi air-defence units confronted two formations of Saudi F-15 and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft that he said were searching for the alleged wreckage, forcing them to withdraw. That assertion also remained unverified.
The claim emerged as fighting intensified across several parts of Yemen, including Marib, where forces aligned with Yemen’s internationally recognised government have been battling the Houthis. The United Nations told the Security Council on Tuesday that localised clashes had been reported across Marib, Lahj, Al-Jawf, Hajjah, Al-Bayda and Saada, alongside extensive air strikes linked to a government counteroffensive.
Saree said Saudi aircraft had carried out more than 450 strikes during the week using F-15 and Typhoon fighters operating from Khamis Mushait and Taif air bases. The Houthis said the strikes hit seven Yemeni provinces and caused civilian casualties, but they did not provide a verifiable overall toll.
Saudi officials have accused the Houthis of escalating cross-border missile and drone attacks. Coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al-Maliki said Saudi air defences intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca on Tuesday evening before it entered restricted airspace around Islam’s holiest city.
Al-Maliki said the interception occurred at about 6.50 pm local time and described the drone launch as an attempt to target Mecca. He said Saudi Arabia regarded the security of the holy sites and pilgrims as a red line and would take measures to deter further attacks.
The Houthis denied targeting Mecca. Saree said the group’s operations were directed at military bases and oil installations and asserted that the holy sites were not targets. The competing accounts could not be independently reconciled.
The dispute over the alleged F-15 loss comes amid a sharper military confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis after a period in which direct hostilities had been more limited. Saudi Arabia has stepped up military action as Houthi forces expanded operations in western Yemen and around the Bab al-Mandab Strait.
At the United Nations, Saudi Arabia’s permanent representative Abdulaziz Al-Wasil said Houthi threats in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab endangered maritime navigation, trade and supply chains. He also reiterated Saudi support for a political settlement in Yemen while asserting the kingdom’s right to defend its territory and national security.
The United Nations has warned that the security situation around Bab al-Mandab has become increasingly volatile. It said commercial shipping through the Red Sea appeared to be continuing, although the Houthi advance and broader regional tensions were adding to concerns over maritime security and energy flows.
Marib remains one of Yemen’s most important front lines because of its military position and energy infrastructure. Control of the province has long been contested between the Houthis and forces aligned with the recognised government, making any verified loss of a Saudi combat aircraft there a potentially significant development in the renewed fighting.
Saudi Arabia operates several variants of the F-15, including advanced F-15SA aircraft, as a central part of its combat aviation fleet. The kingdom has used fighter aircraft in operations connected to Yemen, while Houthi forces have repeatedly claimed air-defence successes during the conflict, some of which have lacked independent confirmation.
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