Houthis release video claiming to show downed Saudi F-15 fighter as Iran-backed rebels press their lightning advance胡塞武装发布视频，声称展示了被击落的沙特F-15战斗机，与此同时，伊朗支持的叛军正加速推进。
Houthi rebels on Wednesday released video of what they said was a Saudi F-15 fighter jet they shot down over Yemen as the recent lightning advance by the Iran-backed rebels piles further pressure on global energy supplies.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
Houthi rebels on Wednesday released video of what they said was a Saudi F-15 fighter jet they shot down over Yemen as the recent lightning advance by the Iran-backed rebels piles further pressure on global energy supplies.
According to a Houthi statement, the sophisticated US-built jet “was downed using a locally manufactured surface-to-air missile” as it “conducted hostile operations” over Marib Governate in west-central Yemen.
Video released by the group shows an electronic image of a missile hitting what appears to be a fighter jet followed by Houthi fighters inspecting wreckage in a desert landscape. At one point, the men raise what appears to be a tailfin of an aircraft, which bears a Saudi flag insignia and the identification number 5539.
CNN has not been able to verify or geolocate the footage. And Saudi Arabia has not made any official comment on the Houthi claims. CNN has approached Saudi and US authorities for comment.
CNN military analyst Cedric Leighton, a retired US Air Force colonel, said the markings on the tail of the downed F-15SA in the video were “consistent” with Saudi Arabian F-15 aircraft.
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The alleged downing coincides with a wider regional escalation of the war between Iran and the United States, including rapid recent developments in Yemen, which has been torn apart for years by civil war.
The Houthis have recently stepped up their fighting against Yemen’s Saudi-backed government and have expanded their area of control . Last week, they captured a Red Sea port city in Yemen and an island near an important waterway that has, for months, acted as a backup to the Strait of Hormuz, allowing for the export of Saudi oil and refined products.
The have also ramped up attacks on Saudi Arabia in recent weeks, which Riyadh has responded to with retaliatory strikes.
There are fears mounting that Saudi Arabia could be drawn into a wider conflict as the US-Iran war drags on.
If confirmed, the loss of the Saudi jet would mark only the second time one of the US-built aircraft has been shot down by hostile fire.
A US Air Force F-15 Strike Eagle was previously shot down by Iranian forces earlier in the war.
That shootdown led to a US rescue operation that eventually recovered the crew, but at the loss of several US aircraft that had to be destroyed at a desert landing site where they became stuck.
Three US F-15s were also shot down by Kuwaiti friendly fire in the early stages of the Iran war.
The Saudi F-15SA is one of the newest versions of the twin-engine jet that has been in the US Air Force inventory since 1976. The Saudi model is based upon the F-15E Strike Eagle, a mainstay of US air power since it made its combat debut during Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
Saudi Arabia received their last order of the Boeing jets in December 2020, according to a US Air Force press release.
CNN’s Eyad Kourdi and Teele Rebane contributed to this report.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
胡塞武装周三发布了一段视频，称他们在也门上空击落了一架沙特阿拉伯的F-15战斗机。伊朗支持的胡塞武装近期的闪电式推进，进一步加剧了全球能源供应的压力。
根据胡塞武装的一份声明，这架美国制造的先进战机“在也门中西部马里卜省上空进行敌对行动时，被当地制造的地对空导弹击落”。
该组织发布的视频显示，一枚导弹击中了一架疑似战斗机的物体，随后胡塞武装人员在沙漠中检查残骸。视频中，这些人一度抬起疑似飞机尾翼的部件，该部件上印有沙特阿拉伯国旗和编号5539。
CNN目前尚无法核实或确定该视频的地理位置。沙特阿拉伯方面也未对胡塞武装的说法发表任何官方评论。CNN已联系沙特和美国当局寻求置评。
美国空军退役上校、CNN军事分析师塞德里克·莱顿表示，视频中被击落的F-15SA飞机尾部的标记与沙特阿拉伯的F-15飞机“一致”。
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据称此次击落事件正值伊朗和美国之间地区战争全面升级之际，其中包括也门局势的迅速发展，也门多年来饱受内战蹂躏。
胡塞武装近期加大了对也门沙特支持的政府的打击力度，并扩大了控制区域。上周，他们占领了也门红海沿岸的一座港口城市以及一条重要水道附近的岛屿。这条水道数月来一直是霍尔木兹海峡的备用通道，保障了沙特石油和成品油的出口。
最近几周，他们还加大了对沙特阿拉伯的袭击力度，利雅得方面则以报复性打击予以回应。
随着美伊战争的持续，人们越来越担心沙特阿拉伯可能会被卷入更大规模的冲突。
如果得到证实，沙特战机的损失将是美国制造的飞机第二次被敌方火力击落。
此前，一架美国空军的F-15“攻击鹰”战斗机曾在战争初期被伊朗军队击落。
那次击落事件引发了美国的救援行动，最终救出了机组人员，但代价是几架美国飞机在沙漠着陆点陷落，不得不被销毁。
在两伊战争初期，三架美国F-15战斗机也被科威特友军火力击落。
沙特阿拉伯的F-15SA是美国空军自1976年以来一直在服役的双引擎喷气式战斗机的最新型号之一。沙特阿拉伯的这款机型以F-15E“攻击鹰”为基础，F-15E自1991年在“沙漠风暴”行动中首次投入实战以来，一直是美国空军的主力机型。
根据美国空军新闻稿，沙特阿拉伯于 2020 年 12 月接收了最后一批波音喷气式飞机订单。
CNN的Eyad Kourdi和Teele Rebane对本报道亦有贡献。