Saudi jet shot down over Yemen

The Houthis say they downed a US-made F-15 Strike Eagle using a locally made surface-to-air missile over the Marib region on Wednesday.

BBC Verify confirms the wreckage

Using satellite imagery and landscape features, BBC Verify pinpointed the crash site to an isolated location in the hills west of Marib, about 25 miles away.

Houthis celebrate at crash site

Video shows fighters inspecting the wreckage and lifting the jet's nearly intact tail fin, which displays the Saudi flag and a four-digit serial number.

Weapons expert confirms F-15 identity

Nick Brown from Janes military intelligence identified the aircraft as an F-15 Strike Eagle based on the tail fin, radar antenna, and missile warning sensors visible in footage.

Jet belonged to Saudi 55th Squadron

The tail number matches an F-15 Strike Eagle from the 55th Squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force based at King Khalid Air Base in south-west Saudi Arabia, about 245 miles away.

Shows Iran-backed military advance

Experts say the incident is a propaganda coup proving the Houthis have Iranian support and advanced military capabilities to escalate their conflict with Saudi Arabia.

“They continue to develop their military arsenal and capabilities to make it more and more painful on Saudi Arabia.”

Conflict escalates over shipping routes

The Houthis recently launched an offensive seizing key territory near the south-west coast, close to vital international shipping channels in the Bab al-Mandab strait.