Houthis release video of claimed Saudi F15 downing

Yemen's Houthis released footage on Wednesday that they said showed the targeting and downing of a Saudi F15 fighter jet over Marib province.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the Iran-backed group shot down the aircraft while it was carrying out what he called hostile operations in support of Saudi military mobilisation. He said the jet was targeted with a locally made surface-to-air missile.

The video posted on social media showed burning wreckage in a desert and fighters posing with a part of an aircraft that appeared to show a Saudi flag.

Saree also accused Saudi Arabia of launching 450 strikes in the past week. He rejected Saudi claims that the Houthis had targeted the holy city of Mecca, saying Houthi operations target Saudi oil facilities and military bases rather than sacred sites.

Yemen's civil war had been dormant for years, but fighting between the Houthis and internationally recognised government forces reignited in July. The Houthis have declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and have been targeting Saudi ships in the Red Sea.

Last week, the Houthis seized control of Yemen's Red Sea coast and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a waterway that has become vital to Saudi crude exports as the wider Middle East war chokes the Strait of Hormuz in the Gulf.