The Yemeni Armed Forces on Wednesday declared a new operation in which they shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib Governorate while it was conducting hostile mission.
The aircraft was downed by a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile, Yemeni Armed Forces Spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree said while reading a statement.
He said Saudi warplanes had carried out more than 450 airstrikes across seven Yemeni governorates this week, using F-15 and Typhoon aircraft launched from Khamis Mushait and Taif airbases, causing Yemeni civilian casualties.
“In the face of this brutal aggression against our country and people, the Yemeni Armed Forces, with God’s help and grace, were able to shoot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet,” Brig. Gen. Saree said.
In a related operation, Yemeni forces engaged two Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter formations over Marib with locally manufactured missiles, forcing them to retreat while searching for the wreckage of the downed aircraft, according to the Yemeni military spokesman.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces will continue to protect our country’s airspace and sovereignty from any aggression or violation by all available means,” he said, adding that Yemen’s airspace “will not be violated.”
بيانٌ صادرٌ عنِ القواتِ المسلحةِ اليمنيةِ
— العميد.يحيى سريع (@Yah_Saree) September 16, 2026
بسمِ اللهِ الرحمنِ الرحيمِ
قالَ تعالى: { یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوۤا۟ إِن تَنصُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ یَنصُرۡكُمۡ وَیُثَبِّتۡ أَقۡدَامَكُمۡ } صدقَ اللهُ العظيم
شنَّ الطيرانُ الحربيُّ السعوديُّ خلالَ هذا الأسبوعِ أكثرَ من 450 غارةٍ جويةٍ من… pic.twitter.com/R8KVtGqxXW
In a related operation, Yemeni forces engaged two Saudi F-15 and Typhoon fighter formations over Marib with locally manufactured missiles, forcing them to retreat while searching for the wreckage of the downed aircraft, according to the Yemeni military spokesman.
“The Yemeni Armed Forces will continue to protect our country’s airspace and sovereignty from any aggression or violation by all available means,” he said, adding that Yemen’s airspace “will not be violated.”
Claims on Targeting Mecca
Meanwhile, Brig. Gen. Saree firmly rejected Saudi claims that Yemeni operations had targeted the holy sites, saying Yemen’s attacks are directed at Saudi oil facilities and military bases and “are far removed from the holy sites.”
Earlier, the Saudi-led Coalition claimed that Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a Yemeni drone before it entered the restricted airspace over the holy city of Mecca.
For his part, Member of Yemen’s Ansarullah politburo Hizam Al-Assad dismissed Saudi claims as a “tired, worn-out lie.”
“No one believes anymore, O’ Jeffrey Epstein’s widows,” he said on his X account, adding an insulting reference to the Arab allies of the US.
مزاعم استهداف مكة المكرمة كذبةٌ ممجوجة استُهلكت سابقًا، ولم تعد تنطلي على أحد، يا أرامل جيفري إبستين!
— حزام الأسد (@hezamalasad) September 15, 2026
قاتلوا قتال الرجال، إن كنتم رجالًا https://t.co/QlWJm431hT
“Fight like men, if you are men at all,” Al-Assad added.
Source: Al-Manar English Website