The body of the Moroccan pilot whose F-16 plane crashed during a mission over Yemen will be laid to rest in his hometown Casablanca on Wednesday.

First Lieutenant Yassine Bahti, 26, is the first airman to die since a Saudi-led coalition began bombing Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen on March 26.

The father of the pilot said he was notified of the handover of his son's body to Morocco on Monday night.