BBC Verify has confirmed that the Iran-backed Houthi group shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Yemen's Marib region using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile. The incident has been described by experts as a significant "propaganda coup" that demonstrates the Houthis' advancing military capabilities and their willingness to escalate their conflict with Saudi Arabia during a period when they have launched a major offensive, seizing key territory near vital international shipping channels in the Bab al-Mandab strait.

Verification by BBC Verify, using satellite imagery and landscape analysis, pinpointed the crash site to an isolated mountainous area approximately 25 miles west of Marib in western Yemen. The aircraft has been independently identified as an F-15 Strike Eagle, with the tail number appearing to match a jet from the 55th Squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force based at King Khalid Air Base, some 245 miles from the crash site. The Houthis, who appear to benefit from Iranian technological support and advice, released multiple video clips of fighters inspecting the wreckage, whilst satellite imagery shows evidence of scorch marks consistent with a crash site. The incident follows recent Houthi attacks on other high-profile Saudi targets, including strikes on King Khalid Air Base (with damage to at least three aircraft hangars) and an oil refinery in Jizan.