The Iran-backed Houthi militia in Yemen and the Saudi authorities on Wednesday accused each other of sharply escalating their attacks, adding to fears that their recent return to war could further destabilize the Middle East.
The Houthis claimed to have downed a Saudi fighter jet, while Saudi Arabia accused the group of firing a drone near Mecca, the holiest site for Muslims.
A spokesman for the Houthi military, Yahya Saree, said on social media that the group had shot down a Saudi F-15 fighter jet over Yemeni territory using a locally made missile. The Houthis released footage and photographs late Wednesday of what they said was the crash site. The wreckage of the downed jet seems to be consistent with that of the F-15 jets in the Royal Saudi Air Force, a review of the images by The New York Times found. However, the exact location of the wreckage could not be confirmed.
The Saudi authorities did not respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Saree made the claim hours after Saudi Arabia said that its military had shot down a Houthi drone outside Mecca. The drone was intercepted and destroyed south of Mecca on Tuesday as it headed toward prohibited airspace over the city, Maj. Gen. Turki Al-Maliki, the spokesman for the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, said in a statement on social media.
Mr. Saree denied that the Houthis had targeted Mecca, dismissing the allegation as “fabrication and lies.”
The conflict between the Houthis and the internationally recognized government, which is supported by Saudi Arabia, has spiraled back into war in recent days, adding further uncertainty to global oil markets already dealing with the U.S.-Iran war.
