Huthi Rebels Release Footage Claiming Downed Saudi F-15 Amid Rapid Advance in Yemen

Huthi rebels on Wednesday released video footage claiming to show a Saudi F-15 fighter jet shot down over Yemen, as the Iran-backed group's swift advance threatens global energy supplies.

According to a statement from the Huthi group, the sophisticated US-built jet was downed using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile during hostile operations over Marib Governate in west-central Yemen. The video features an electronic simulation of a missile striking a fighter jet, followed by footage of Huthi fighters inspecting wreckage in a desert and lifting a tailfin bearing a Saudi flag insignia and identification number 5539.

CNN has not independently verified or geolocated the footage, and Saudi Arabia has not issued an official comment. CNN has reached out to both Saudi and US authorities for responses.

CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton, a retired US Air Force colonel, stated that the markings on the tail of the aircraft in the video are consistent with Saudi Arabian F-15 aircraft.

This alleged incident occurs amid a broader regional escalation involving Iran and the United States, alongside the ongoing civil war in Yemen. The Huthis have intensified fighting against Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and expanded their territory, recently capturing a Red Sea port city and an island near a crucial maritime trade route.