Saudi fighter jet crashes in Yemen

A Saudi fighter jet crashed in conflict-torn Yemen, the Riyadh-led military coalition said Saturday, as the Houthi rebels said they downed the plane.

The Tornado aircraft came down on Friday in northern Al-Jawf province during an operation to support Yemeni government forces, the coalition said in a statement carried by the official Saudi Press Agency.

The coalition did not specify the fate of the crew or the cause of the crash.

The Houthis’ Al-Masirah television said the jet was downed by the them using an “advanced surface-to-air missile”.

The Houthis reported multiple coalition airstrikes on Saturday in the area where the plane went down as local residents gathered near the debris, according to Al-Masirah.

The coalition intervened against the Houthis in 2015, first with air and naval forces and later with ground forces as well.