DOHA, October 4. /TASS/. The Houthis from the Yemeni rebel movement Ansar Allah said they have forced Saudi F-15 fighter jets to leave the airspace over the Taiz governorate in southwestern Yemen.

"Our armed forces <…> have managed to counter two Saudi F-15 fighter formations in the skies over the Taiz governorate and forced them to withdraw," Houthi spokesman Yahya Saria wrote on his Telegram channel, adding that the interception operation was carried out using several locally manufactured anti-aircraft missiles.

The armed confrontation between government forces and Houthi rebels has been continuing in Yemen since August 2014. The situation deteriorated dramatically this summer. In early August 2026, Ansar Allah launched an offensive in the country's southwest and took control of the port city of Mokha and territories along the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in western Yemen on September 10-11. Government forces mounted several counterattacks near the strait in the following days. On Saturday, the Yemeni defense ministry announced the launch of practical steps to implement the decision of general mobilization and putting the armed forces on high alert, and on the following day, government forces began a large-scale military operation to regain control of the country.