Houthis Shoot Down Saudi F-15 s in Yemen

Caught On Video: Houthi Rebels Shoot Down Saudi F-15 Over Yemen

Zero Hedge,

10 January, 2018

Houthi rebels have released dramatic footage showing the use of a FLIR Systems sensor turret, manufactured by an American defense company, recording the moment a Surface-to-air missile shot down a Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 over Yemen's capital, Sana’a.

On Monday, Houthi rebels released the infrared video, which shows the sensor tracking the F-15S (Boeing MFG.), while it was shot down over Yemeni skies, according to Saba News.

The video was first released by the Houthi-run al-Masirah television network on Monday, which shows the FLIR Systems logo on the top left of the frame. A separate statement by the group’s Saba News Agency says their forces shot down the Saudi warplane over northern Saada province on Sunday.

Yemen air defense on Monday morning fired a ground-to-air missile at a Saudi enemy warplane while it was flying over the capital Sanaa, the army said in a statement received by Saba. The targeted plane is F-15, read the statement without providing further details. Monday missile attack came one day after the Yemeni army shot down a Saudi warplane over northern Saada province.

In the video, the FLIR Systems sensor turret is seen in full working capacity as it tracks the Saudi warplane overhead. Watch the video below.

According to The Drive, if confirmed the downing of the F-15 could be somewhat embarrassing for the United States, considering the Americans have sold defense products to Yemen. (3 Flir Sensors delivered via U.S. to Yemen).

The Houthis say the downing of the F-15S is separate from the Jan. 7, 2018 incident, where rebel forces ‘supposedly’ downed a Saudi Tornado IDS/ECR attack aircraft. The Saudi-led coalition claims the Tornado experienced “a technical fault and crashed in the war zone,” despite Yemen’s Air Force and Air Defense commander Major General Ibrahim Al-Shami praised the army’s defense capabilities.

In October 2017, Houthis downed a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper drone flying over Yemen as President Trump ramped up bombings in the country. Further, the MQ-9 was taken out by a shoulder-fired man-portable air-defense system, or MANPADS. In December 2017, rebels fired ballistic missiles at critical assets inside Saudi Arabia fueling the war-torn region.