Saudi plane goes down in Yemen; Houthi leader says rebels shot it down

Feb. 15 (UPI) -- The Saudi-led coalition fighting Houthi rebels in Yemen has confirmed that one of its fighter jets crashed in the northern province of al-Jawf.

A coalition spokesman said the Saudi Tornado fighter jet had crashed while carrying out a support mission near Yemeni army units.

That statement came after Houthi rebels claimed credit for shooting down a Tornado jet belonging to "enemy forces."

Houthi military spokesperson said the aircraft was taken down by an advanced air-to-ground missile.

According to the United Nations, 31 civilians were killed in Saudi air strikes in the region Saturday and 12 others were injured.

The coalition, led by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, has been fighting Yemen's Houthi movement since 2015, when the Houthis ousted the internationally recognized government in the capital Sanaa.

In January the U.N. reported that at least 80 Yemeni soldiers were killed in an airstrike at a military camp, and as many as 130 others were injured in the same attack.