RIYADH: A Saudi fighter jet crashed in conflict-torn Yemen, the Riyadh-led military coalition backing the government said on Saturday, as the country’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed to have shot it down.

The Tornado aircraft came down in northern Al-Jawf province during an operation to support government forces, the coalition said in a statement, in a rare crash that marks a setback for a military alliance known for its air supremacy.

The statement released by the official Saudi Press Agency did not specify the fate of the crew or the cause of the crash, which comes amid an upsurge in fighting between the warring parties that threatens to worsen Yemen’s humanitarian crisis.

The Houthi rebels said they will release footage showing the launch of its “advanced surface-to-air missile” and the moment it downed the jet.

“The downing of a Tornado in the sky above Al-Jawf is a major blow to the enemy and an indication of remarkable growth in Yemeni (rebel) air defence capabilities,” Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam tweeted.

The insurgents reported multiple coalition air strikes on Saturday in the Houthi-controlled area where the plane went down as local residents gathered near the wreckage, according to the rebels’ Al-Masirah television.

The bombing raids left “dozens” of people dead or wounded, Al-Masirah added, a report that could not be immediately verified by local aid workers.

The escalation follows fierce fighting around the Houthi-held capital Sanaa, with the rebels seen to be advancing on several fronts towards Hazm, the regional capital of Al-Jouf.

The province of Al-Jouf has been mostly controlled by the Houthis, but with its capital still in the hands of the Saudi-backed government.

The Iran-aligned Houthi movement also accused the Saudi-led coalition of carrying out retaliatory air strikes on Saturday that killed 30 people including civilians in the latest flare-up of a five-year war.

The health ministry in Houthi-controlled Al-Jawf province said women and children were among those killed, Houthi-run Al-Masirah TV reported.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2020