Houthis Claim They Shot Down a Saudi F‑15 Hours After a Drone Was Intercepted Near Mecca

In a dramatic turn of events, Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced on Wednesday that they had brought down a Saudi Air Force F‑15 fighter jet. The claim came just a few hours after Saudi officials said they had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi‑launched drone south of Mecca, preventing it from entering the city’s protected airspace.

While the Houthis did not reveal where the jet allegedly crashed or what happened to its crew, Riyadh has not confirmed any loss of aircraft. Neither side has provided independent proof, so the story remains unverified for now.

Adding to the tension, the Houthi spokesperson said the Saudi‑led coalition had carried out more than 450 airstrikes across Yemen in the past week. Saudi officials, however, have not publicly backed that figure. What is clear is that the coalition has stepped up attacks on Houthi positions after the rebels made recent territorial gains along Yemen’s western coast.

Major General Turki al‑Malki, the coalition’s spokesperson, warned that the security of Mecca, Medina and the millions of pilgrims visiting them is a “red line.” He said any attempt to breach that line would be met with “necessary deterrent measures.”

Houthi media outlet SABA quoted a military source denying any intention to target the holy cities, even as Riyadh described the drone incident as the group’s second attempt to strike Mecca – the first being a ballistic missile launch back in July 2017.

Meanwhile, the conflict on Saudi soil has intensified. Earlier this week, coalition forces reported that attacks on the southern cities of Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif injured 13 civilians and damaged homes and vehicles. A week before that, similar strikes in Abha, Khamis Mushait, Jazan and Najran left 73 people hurt, many of them women and children.

The Houthis say some of those strikes were retaliatory, aimed at King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, which they claim hosts F‑15 and Typhoon jets used in the bombing campaign against them.

On the maritime front, the rebels announced in July a “maritime embargo” against Saudi Arabia, followed by attacks on Saudi‑linked shipping and oil installations along the Red Sea. Their ground offensive also gained steam in September, with Houthi forces seizing the port city of Mokha and strategic islands near the Bab al‑Mandab Strait – a chokepoint that funnels a huge portion of global energy trade.

These moves come as Saudi Arabia grapples with additional pressure on its oil routes. Earlier this year, a pipeline that moves crude from the kingdom’s eastern fields to the Red Sea was damaged in an attack that Riyadh blames on an Iran‑aligned group operating from Iraq.

The broader Yemen war, which began in 2015 when Saudi Arabia led a coalition against the Houthis, had seen a UN‑brokered truce in 2022 that largely held. That fragile calm has now shattered. The United Nations reports that more than 100,000 Yemenis have been displaced by the latest round of fighting, with thousands fleeing by sea to Djibouti. Damaged infrastructure and communication blackouts are further hampering humanitarian aid.

As the dust settles, both sides continue to trade accusations and warnings. Whether the Houthis truly downed the F‑15, or the story is another piece of wartime propaganda, remains to be seen. What is certain is that the conflict’s ripple effects are being felt far beyond Yemen’s borders, keeping the region on edge.