Riyadh announces the death of two pilots in a crash near the Yemeni border, the Houthis claim responsibility for the attack

The coalition led by Riyadh announced on Sunday the death of two pilots in a helicopter crash near the Yemeni border, the first military deaths since the resumption of hostilities with the pro-Iranian Houthis in July.

“An AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter belonging to the national guard crashed (...) on Saudi territory in the Najran region after a technical failure, causing the death of the two officers who made up its crew,” declared the spokesperson for the military coalition, Turki al-Malki, according to the official SPA news agency.

On Saturday, Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree said his forces had “shot down an Apache helicopter of the Saudi enemy” in the same region.

During the night from Saturday to Sunday, the Riyadh-led coalition also announced that it had intercepted two drones over the Riyadh region and a third over the oil-rich Eastern Province, after broadcasting “air threat” alerts to residents of the capital. She also reported the interception of two ballistic missiles “launched by the Houthi terrorist militia in the direction of Khamis Mushait”, in the south of the kingdom.

Teleworking imposed at the Kingdom Center

The Kingdom Centre, an emblematic tower in the center of Riyadh housing the regional office of the International Monetary Fund, imposed teleworking on Sunday on employees of its offices, against a backdrop of repeated attacks by the Houthis of Yemen against Saudi Arabia, particularly on the capital.

“Teleworking is mandatory for all Kingdom Center office employees, with immediate effect and until further notice,” management said in an email seen by AFP, asking employees not to go on site. The shopping center located at the foot of this 99-story tower remains open, noted an AFP journalist.

Attacks on an unprecedented scale

On Saturday in Yemen, the Houthis reported 12 deaths, including three children, in Saudi strikes. There are daily exchanges of fire between pro-Iranian fighters and Saudi Arabia.

After years of calm, the conflict since 2014 between the Yemeni government supported by Riyadh and the Houthis resumed in July, opening a new front in the war in the Middle East.

Hostilities increased in intensity in September, with the capture of the Yemeni coast on the Red Sea by the Houthis and attacks of an unprecedented scale against the kingdom, in particular on its oil infrastructure and its airports.

On October 10, a Houthi attack on Riyadh airport left 13 dead and hundreds injured, the deadliest military operation on Saudi soil in more than a decade.