Bahrain F-16 crashes in Saudi

The pilot survived the crash that took place in the Jizan region in southern Saudi Arabia.

Bahrain is part of the Saudi-led coalition battling the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen since March this year. The alliance has been backing forces loyal to Yemeni President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi's government. Eight Bahraini troops have been killed during the campaign so far.

The Bahrain Defense Force general command said the plane's wreckage had been found and an investigation had been launched.

The crash comes a day after Bahrain said that three of its soldiers had died "in an incident on the southern borders of Saudi Arabia," without providing any more details.

It is the second coalition F-16 to crash after a Moroccan plane went down during a mission over Yemen in May. The pilot of the Moroccan jet was later found dead and his body was returned home. The coalition later said it thought that either a technical fault or human error was to blame, denying rebel claims that they had shot the plane down.

ap/msh (Reuters, AFP)