The Houthi fighters say they have shot down a Yemeni army aircraft which was bombarding their positions in the mountainous northwestern province of Saada. The military aircraft, a Russian-built MiG fighter jet, was reportedly brought down Friday morning by anti-aircraft fire in the al-Sha'af district of Saada province. The aviator aboard the warplane has meanwhile been identified as Shamsan Mohamed Abdou Muflih.
Surrounded by the Yemeni Army and regularly bombarded by military warplanes and helicopters, Saada remains cut from the rest of the country and is faced with a pressing shortage of food.