As tensions with the Houthis escalate, Saudi military helicopter crashes: 2 soldiers die

A military reconnaissance helicopter crashed in the Najran region of southwestern Saudi Arabia.

Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, announced in a statement on Sunday that an AH-6i helicopter crashed due to a technical malfunction, resulting in the deaths of two crew members.

Al-Maliki stated that the accident occurred in an area under the responsibility of the Saudi Ministry of National Guard.

Yahya Saree, the military spokesperson for the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen, claimed in a statement on the social media platform X on Saturday that they had shot down a Saudi Apache helicopter near Najran.

Saree claimed that the helicopter was targeted while carrying out offensive operations against Houthi positions along the border.

The Saudi-led coalition, however, announced that the crashed AH-6i helicopter suffered an accident due to a technical malfunction.

There is no verification confirming whether the Apache helicopter claimed to have been shot down by the Houthis and the AH-6i involved in the accident are the same aircraft.

RESPONSE FROM SAUDI ARABIA TO THE HOUTHIS

Coalition Spokesperson Turki al-Maliki responded to the Houthis' claim of shooting down a helicopter via social media.

Sharing a photo of Apache helicopters lined up side by side, al-Maliki stated, "You claim you shot it down, but it will soon enter the battlefield."

Saudi Arabia's Najran region, located on the Yemeni border, has been the target of Houthi attacks in recent weeks.

The intensification of clashes between the Saudi-led coalition and the Yemen-based Houthis is raising security concerns in the region.