Houthi Group Claims to Have Shot Down Nine Saudi Fighter Jets Since September 3

Houthi Group Claims to Have Shot Down Nine Saudi Fighter Jets Since September 3

The Houthi group, part of the Ansar Allah rebel movement in Yemen, has claimed that it has carried out more than 30 operations to intercept Saudi Arabian fighter jets and has shot down nine aircraft since September 3.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saria said: “The armed forces successfully carried out 32 operations to intercept Saudi Arabian fighter jets, nine of which were shot down.” He added that hundreds of Saudi soldiers “were killed, wounded, or captured” during operations in Yemen’s western coastal region.

According to the Houthi spokesperson, the operations in Yemen’s western coastal region began on September 3 with the aim of expelling Saudi forces from the area. He said the operations were motivated by “Saudi-backed attacks on civilians and villages in the western coastal region, which have continued for several years.”

Saria claimed that the operations had forced Saudi forces to withdraw from Taiz and Hodeidah provinces, covering an area of approximately 5,400 square kilometers. He further stated that navigation in the Red Sea “is safe for all companies, except companies from Saudi Arabia, because of the blockade imposed against them.”