For the second time in as many weeks, the Houthis in Yemen claim they have successfully challenged aircraft belonging to the Saudi Arabia-led coalition in the skies over the country, saying they drove off a pair of F-16E/F Viper fighter jets belonging to the United Arab Emirates with surface-to-air missiles.

Though its difficult to confirm any reports coming out of Yemen, it seems that the rebel group is increasingly capable of engaging its aerial opponents, amid reports that it may be receiving additional support for its air defense forces from Iran.

On March 27, 2018, the Houthis released a video showing the operation through social media and other outlets, including via Yemen's Al Masirah television network, which the group controls. The clip shows a unknown type of missile speeding into the night's sky, followed by footage of at least one F-16 that the rebels shot with a FLIR Systems infrared camera. The insurgents have used this equipment, an American-made system that they likely captured or otherwise obtained from former Yemeni government elements, to film attacks on aircraft in the past.