Aden (South24 Center)

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The Iran-aligned Houthi militia claimed on Wednesday (September 16) that it had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Marib Governorate, hours after Saudi Arabia announced intercepting a drone south of Mecca.

Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the fighter was hit with a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile while supporting military operations in Marib.

He also claimed that Houthi forces forced two formations of Saudi F-15 and Typhoon jets to retreat as they searched for the wreckage.

The group provided no independently verifiable evidence or images of the alleged wreckage. Saudi Arabia did not immediately comment on the claim.

Earlier, Saudi military spokesman Turki Al-Maliki said the Royal Saudi Air Defense Forces intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone at 6:50 pm on Tuesday before it entered restricted airspace over Mecca.

Al-Maliki said the drone was intercepted south of the city, describing the incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca after a ballistic missile launch in July 2017.

He said the security of Islam’s holy sites was a “red line” and warned that Saudi-led forces would take “necessary deterrent measures.”

The Houthis denied targeting Mecca or other Islamic holy sites, saying their operations inside Saudi Arabia were directed at oil facilities and military bases.

The 2017 incident was also disputed. Saudi Arabia said the missile was aimed at Mecca, while the Houthis said its target was King Fahd Air Base in Taif.

South24 Center could not independently verify either the alleged downing of the F-15 or the flight path of the drone intercepted near Mecca.

Separately, South24 sources said an unidentified drone struck a military convoy on Tuesday (September 15) along the Al-Abr road near Shabwa, hitting trucks carrying weapons. The initial toll was three soldiers killed and three wounded.

In Bab Al-Mandeb, a military source said intense clashes erupted between the Southern Giants Brigades and Homeland Shield Forces on one side and Houthi fighters on the other along the Kahboub front.

Southern forces, backed by local tribesmen, also repelled a Houthi infiltration attempt near Al-Mashbak and Al-Mansoura in Lahj Governorate, military sources told South24.

The developments follow days of escalating missile and drone exchanges between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. On Monday, the group claimed a large-scale attack on King Khalid Air Base in Khamis Mushait, while Saudi Arabia said recent Houthi attacks on Khamis Mushait, Abha and Taif wounded 13 civilians and damaged seven homes and two vehicles.