Italy Loses Another Eurofighter to Strike by Advancing Yemeni Militias Strike

An Italian Air Force Eurofighter was reportedly destroyed during a Yemeni Ansurullah Coalition attack on King Fahd Air Base near Ta'if, Saudi Arabia, marking the latest escalation in attacks against foreign military forces operating in the kingdom. Italy's Defence Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed that the aircraft was struck while parked at the base. The aircraft was located in a non-central or remote area of the base when it was hit, indicating that it was specifically targeted. The fighter was deployed to Saudi Arabia as part of Italy's Task Force Air-Arabia, which was established in March 2026 to support the ongoing war effort against Iran. 

The Ansurullah Coalition has conducted repeated ballistic missile and drone attacks against Saudi territory, including attacks directed toward Ta'if, Abha and Khamis Mushait. Saudi authorities have also reported falling missile debris in the Ta'if area. The Coalition has claimed responsibility for attacks against Saudi military and energy infrastructure as tensions have escalated along the Saudi-Yemeni border and across the Red Sea region. The attack demonstrates the vulnerability of combat aircraft to long-range missiles and drones even when operating from heavily defended air bases.

The Italian Air Force in August increased deployments of Eurofighters, air-defence systems and surveillance assets to the Gulf region as part of an effort to support the U.S.-led war effort against Iran. A prior deployment of Eurofighters at Ali Al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait was targeted in March by Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps drones, destroying three Kuwaiti Air Force Eurofighters and severely damaging two Italian Air Force Eurofighters. This followed the confirmed destruction of an Italian Air Force MQ-9 Reaper reconnaissance and attack drone at the same facility, and strikes on Italian ground forces at facilities in Iraq by Iranian-aligned Iraqi paramilitary groups. 

France, the United Kingdom, and Turkey have all deployed fighter aircraft to support air defence efforts against Iran, after the United States and Israel launched attacks on the country on February 28, prompting Iranian forces to retaliate by striking U.S. military facilities and strategic targets across the region. The Ansurullah Coalition’s participation in the war effort has been a significant factor undermining Western Bloc interests, with coalition forces having shot down a U.S.-supplied Royal Saudi Air Force F-15SA fighter within 48 hours of the destruction of the Eurofighter on the ground.