Houthis claim to have taken down Saudi fighter jet as conflict escalates
The Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed their militia took out a Saudi fighter jet on Wednesday — as Riyadh said it intercepted a drone strike near the Muslim holy city of Mecca in a move that could further threaten stability in the Middle East.The terror group touted that a Saudi F-15 fighter jet was shot down over Yemen using a Houthi-made missile, military spokesman Yahya Saree said on Telegram.While the claim could not be independently verified, images of the crash site uploaded by Iranian media appeared to depict one of the Royal Saudi Air Force’s F-15 jets.
While Riyadh has yet to comment on the claims, the kingdom has confirmed that its military shot down a Houthi drone outside Mecca on Tuesday.The drone was destroyed just south of the city after it entered prohibited airspace, Maj.
Gen.Turki Al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, said in a statement.
Al-Maliki and the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition claimed the strike was aimed at Mecca, regarded as Islam’s holiest city and the site of Muslims’ annual hajj pilgrimage.“This can only be described as a disgraceful act, an attempt to target the birthplace of revelation, the land of the message, and the destination that draw the hearts of millions of Muslims from around the world,” Al Maliki said.
“This hostile attempt will remain a mark of shame on the record of violations committed by the Extremist Terrorist Houthi Militia, as it was a deliberate act intended to provoke the feelings of millions of Muslims,” he added.The Houthis, who have been accused of targeting Mecca before in 2017, denied the allegations.
An attack on Mecca would likely lead to outrage from the Muslim world and could even trigger the Mecca joint defense agreement signed by Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan last month.The agreement saw the three nations agree that any act of aggression waged by armed forces against one of the member countries would be treated as an attack on all three.
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