Dramatic video shows Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 fighter jet shot down a Houthi rebel ‘suicide drone’ out of the sky over the mountain range.
The video begins with individuals on the ground watching the Qasef flying along above, with its engine humming loudly. A missile is then seen flying in underneath the drone.
The missile detonates after coming within a certain distance of the unmanned aircraft, causing it to fall out of the sky.
An F-15, which looks to have launched the missile, then comes zooming into view. The Saudis operate a number of different Eagle variants and it’s not possible to tell at the distance the video was shot which version is seen in this case.
It is not currently known when or where the dramatic footage was captured or what kind of missile was employed in this case, but based on what can be seen in the video, it might have been an active radar-homing AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile (AMRAAM).
This isn’t the first time that drones launched by Houthi rebels had been intercepted by Saudi Arabia, and the Qasef-series suicide drones have been actively used by the group for a few years.
Last month, Saudi Arabia confirmed it had intercepted a missile attack over its capital as well as bomb-laden drones targeting a southern province.
The attack was the latest in a series of airborne assaults it has blamed on the Iran-allied Houthis rebels in Yemen’s civil war.
The Saudi-led military coalition fighting in Yemen’s years-long war announced last month that the Iran-allied Houthis had launched a ballistic missile toward Riyadh and three booby-trapped drones toward the province of Jizan.
A fourth booby-trapped drone was fired toward another southwestern city, and other drones being monitored. No casualties or damage were initially reported. There was no immediate comment from the Houthis.
Additionally, the Houthi rebels also claimed responsibility for a drone attack on a Saudi airport which saw a passenger plane engulfed in flames.
The group is said to have targeted the Abha International Airport in the south-west of the country, causing a passenger plane on the tarmac to catch fire, according to the kingdom’s state television.
The Iran-backed Houthis claimed responsibility for the attack soon afterwards, with military spokesman Yehia Sareai saying the group used four bomb-laden drones to target Abha airport.
