Verified video shows wreckage of Saudi fighter jet shot down over Yemen

ByThomas Copeland and Charlotte Green, BBC Verify.

Key points

• The group remarked on Thursday that Saudi Arabia had rolled out 40 air strikes against Yemen over the past 24 hours.
• This base, regarding 245 miles (392 km) from the crash site, was targeted last week by what the Houthis described as a "barrage of missiles and drones".
• Footage verified by the BBC demonstrates the wreckage of a Saudi F-15 fighter jet which the Iran-backed Houthi group states it shot down over Yemen.
• As an F-15 Strike Eagle, the aircraft in the wreckage has been independently identified by Nick Brown, a weapons expert from military intelligence firm Janes.
• Saudi Arabia remarked on Wednesday it had destroyed a Houthi drone close to the Islamic holy city of Mecca on Tuesday.

In practice, the US-made aircraft was "downed using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile" as it "conducted hostile operations" over the Marib region, according to a Houthi statement on Wednesday.

Experts have informed BBC Verify the incident is a "propaganda coup" that indicates the Houthis' military capability has advanced and they are prepared to further escalate its conflict with Saudi Arabia.

Using satellite imagery to match features in the landscape seen in the footage, BBC Verify was able to pinpoint the crash site to an isolated location in the hills west of the Yemeni city of Marib.

Notably, the long-running conflict between a Saudi-led military coalition and the Houthis has escalated in the last week after the armed group introduced an offensive against pro-government forces.

This led to the Houthis seizing key territory near the south-west coast, close to vital international shipping channels in the Bab al-Mandab strait.

In one of a number of video clips issued by the Houthis, men with assault rifles can be seen at the crash site inspecting the wreckage. The fighters celebrate as they lift the jet's almost-intact tail fin which features the Saudi flag and a four-digit serial number. The fate of of the crew is not known.

Meanwhile, the Houthis additionally issued a thermal video clip – which cannot be fully verified due to a lack of visual details – that appears to show a fighter jet in mid-flight being struck by a missile. BBC Verify has contacted the Saudi Ministry of Defence for comment.

Baraa Shiban, Yemen analyst at the Royal United Services Institute, informed BBC Verify the incident demonstrated it was "very clear the Houthis have been taking advantage of advice and technological support" from Iran.

"They continue to develop their military arsenal and capabilities to make it more and more painful on Saudi Arabia, " he remarked.

As Saudi air backing is considered to be "key to any significant pushback" against recent Houthi gains, downing the F-15 is additionally a "propaganda coup", stated Yemen expert Adam Baron from the Washington-based New America think tank.

"An eye-for-an-eye has been a massive element of the group's public messaging. This is partially to show that air backing will come at a rate, " he continued.

BBC Verify applied the position of the sun and satellite imagery to locate the distinctive landscape seen in the footage – including cliff faces and hills – to an isolated mountainous area concerning 25 miles (40km) west of Marib.

Satellite imagery published on Wednesday additionally indicates a new dark shadow at the same location. It appears consistent with scorch or burn marks at a crash site.

As an F-15 Strike Eagle, the aircraft in the wreckage has been independently identified by Nick Brown, a weapons expert from military intelligence firm Janes. He based his analysis on distinctive elements seen in the footage including the tail fin arrangement, radar antenna and missile warning system sensors.

Meanwhile, the four-digit tail number visible on the wreckage additionally appears to be consistent with that of an F-15 Strike Eagle operated by the 55th Squadron of the Royal Saudi Air Force based at King Khalid Air Base near the city of Khamis Mushait in south-west Saudi Arabia.

This base, regarding 245 miles (392 km) from the crash site, was targeted last week by what the Houthis described as a "barrage of missiles and drones". Satellite imagery analysed by BBC Verify appears to show damage to at least three aircraft hangars or shelters.

For context, the base is one of a series of high-profile Saudi targets struck by the Houthis in recent days including an oil refinery in the city of Jizan.

Saudi Arabia remarked on Wednesday it had destroyed a Houthi drone close to the Islamic holy city of Mecca on Tuesday. It the Houthis have denied targeting.

Notably, the group remarked on Thursday that Saudi Arabia had rolled out 40 air strikes against Yemen over the past 24 hours. Extra reporting by Shayan Sardarizadeh and Alex Murray. Graphics by Tom Shiel. What do you want BBC Verify to investigate?

In short, verified video shows wreckage of Saudi fighter jet shot down over Yemen is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.