The conflict in Yemen has escalated further, with the Houthi armed group claiming that it shot down a Saudi Eurofighter Typhoon supplied by Britain. At the same time, five missiles were reportedly fired at the Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace in the southern port city of Aden, the center of Yemen’s internationally recognized government.

The Telegraph reported on Thursday, October 15, that footage released by Houthi-linked media appeared to show a missile-like object heading toward a fighter jet before the aircraft caught fire. The Houthis claimed the aircraft was a Saudi Eurofighter Typhoon.

However, Steven Wagner, a senior lecturer in international security at Brunel University London, said the aircraft appeared to be a Eurofighter Typhoon but questioned whether it was actually destroyed. According to his assessment, the video did not clearly show a direct or catastrophic hit beyond an explosion near the beginning of the footage. He suggested the pilot may have used evasive manoeuvres and flares to avoid the incoming weapon.

Wagner said the weapon appeared to be a conventional mobile surface-to-air missile system potentially supplied by Iran. Such systems can remain concealed until shortly before launch and then rapidly relocate after firing, making them harder to detect and target.

If the Houthi claim is independently confirmed, the destruction of a Saudi Typhoon by an Iranian-supplied air-defence system would be a notable and relatively rare incident. Saudi Arabia has long been regarded by Britain as a key strategic partner in the Middle East, with extensive defence cooperation between the two countries.

Under an agreement known as Project Salam, Britain supplied Saudi Arabia with 72 Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft in a deal reportedly worth around £4.43 billion.

Wagner also noted that stealth aircraft such as the F-35 may be somewhat better protected against such systems, but they are not completely immune. He suggested that once an ambush tactic becomes known, pilots and military forces are likely to adapt, making the same method less effective over time.

Missile Attack on Yemen’s Presidential Palace

Meanwhile, five missiles were reportedly fired at the Al-Maashiq Presidential Palace in Aden, where Yemen’s internationally recognized government is based. The attack came as fighting intensified between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces, including the Southern Giants Brigades.

The Yemeni government said two security guards were killed in the attack, while the prime minister and cabinet members remained unharmed. Government officials described the incident as an assassination attempt.

The latest escalation has raised concerns that the conflict could expand into a broader civil war and draw additional regional and international powers into the fighting.

On Thursday, Houthi military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Saree declared most of Saudi Arabia’s airspace and airports “unsafe,” while saying that the airspace over the holy cities of Mecca and Medina would be excluded.

The developments have increased fears that the renewed fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis could develop into a wider regional crisis.