Key facts
- Footage verified by the BBC shows the wreckage of a Saudi F-15 fighter jet.
- The Houthi group claims it shot down the jet using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile.
- The crash site was located in the hills west of Marib, Yemen.
- Experts described the incident as a "propaganda coup" for the Houthis.
- The Houthis have been receiving technological support and advice from Iran.
- The fate of the jet's crew is unknown.
Footage verified by the BBC shows the wreckage of a Saudi F-15 fighter jet that the Iran-backed Houthi group claims to have shot down over Yemen. The US-made aircraft was downed using a "locally manufactured surface-to-air missile" as it "conducted hostile operations" over the Marib region, according to a Houthi statement on Wednesday.
Experts have told BBC Verify the incident is a "propaganda coup" that shows the Houthis' military capability has advanced and they are prepared to further escalate their conflict with Saudi Arabia. Using satellite imagery to match features in the landscape seen in the footage, BBC Verify was able to pinpoint the crash site to an isolated location in the hills west of the Yemeni city of Marib.
The long-running conflict between a Saudi-led military coalition and the Houthis has escalated in the last week after the armed group launched an offensive against pro-government forces. This led to the Houthis seizing key territory near the south-west coast, close to vital international shipping channels in the Bab al-Mandab strait.
In one of several video clips released by the Houthis, men with assault rifles can be seen at the crash site inspecting the wreckage. The fighters celebrate as they lift the jet's almost-intact tail fin which features the Saudi flag and a four-digit serial number. The fate of the crew is not known.
The Houthis also released a thermal video clip that appears to show a fighter jet in mid-flight being struck by a missile. BBC Verify has contacted the Saudi Ministry of Defence for comment.
Baraa Shiban, Yemen analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, told BBC Verify the incident showed it was "very clear the Houthis have been taking advantage of advice and technological support" from Iran. "They continue to develop their military arsenal and capabilities to make it more and more painful on Saudi Arabia," he said.
Downing the F-15 is also a "propaganda coup", said Yemen expert Adam Baron from the Washington-based New America think tank, as Saudi air support is considered to be "key to any significant pushback" against recent Houthi gains. "An eye-for-an-eye has been a huge element of the group's public messaging. This is partially to show that air support will come at a price," he added.