Houthi rebels claimed to shoot down Tornado with anti-aircraft missiles, the Saudi military confirmed the loss of the aircraft but did not give a reason.

"Yemeni air defense forces used modern anti-aircraft missiles to shoot down Tornado raids in the skies of Al-Jawf province while it was carrying out hostile missions," said General Yahya Saria, a Houthi rebel spokesman in Yemen, yesterday announced.

The anti-Houthi coalition led by Saudi Arabia today confirmed a Tornado crashed in support of the Yemeni government army, but did not disclose the fate of the flight crew and the cause of the crash. Saudi Arabia is the only country in the coalition to own this type of attack with 81 Tornado IDS aircraft in service.

Conflict broke out in Yemen since late 2014 when Houthi rebels took over parts of the country, including the capital, Sanaa. The Saudi-led military coalition has launched an intervention campaign in Yemen since March 2015 to repel Houthi forces, restoring the internationally recognized government of President Mansour Hadi in exile.

In response, Houthi rebels often use missiles, UAVs to attack targets in the territory of the countries participating in the coalition, as well as use suicide boats to raid freight ships and naval ships in the Red Sea. Many coalition planes were also shot down or damaged on duty in Yemen.

Conflict has killed more than 70,000 civilians since 2016 and millions of people have gone into poverty.

Location Al-Jawf province of Yemen. Graphics: BBC.