Houthis claim Saudi fighter jet downed as Riyadh warns of retaliation

Yemen’s Houthis said they shot down a Saudi F-15 using a locally made air-to-air missile, while denying that their operations targeted Mecca. Saudi Arabia’s coalition warned it would take deterrent measures after alerts over possible attacks near the holy city and strikes that wounded 13 people in the kingdom’s south, according to Euronews.

Yemen’s Houthi movement said on Wednesday that it had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet during what its military spokesman described as hostile operations. Yahya Saree said on social media that the aircraft was hit with a locally made air-to-air missile and accused Saudi Arabia of carrying out 450 strikes.

Saree also rejected Saudi claims that the Houthis had targeted Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. He said the group’s operations were directed at Saudi oil facilities and military bases, which he described as being far from sacred sites. The statement did not provide independently verified evidence that the fighter jet had been downed.

The Saudi-led coalition warned that the security of the Two Holy Mosques and pilgrims was a “red line” and said it would take necessary and deterrent measures against the Houthis. Saudi authorities had issued brief alerts on Tuesday over possible attacks in Mecca and parts of the kingdom’s south, which borders Yemen.

The alerts came a day after ballistic missile and drone attacks launched from Yemen wounded 13 people in southern Saudi Arabia, according to the supplied report. The Mecca alert was described as the first there since the Iran war began in February. Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation condemned what they characterized as an attack on Mecca, although the Houthis denied targeting the city.

The escalation is taking place amid renewed fighting in Yemen and growing tensions around the Red Sea. The Houthis have said they are imposing a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and have targeted Saudi-linked shipping, while the group claimed last week to have taken control of Yemen’s Red Sea coast and the Bab el-Mandeb strait. Saudi and Egyptian leaders have called for freedom and security of navigation through the strategic waterways, while Qatar warned that closure of Bab el-Mandeb would have consequences for the entire world.

The report said the Houthis have also attacked Saudi oil infrastructure and that Red Sea disruption has reduced Suez Canal revenues to roughly half their level before the group began attacking shipping in 2023. A US military task force is assisting Saudi forces with intelligence-sharing and planning, according to a US official cited by AFP.