Saudi Helicopter Crash Kills Two Crew Members as Houthis Claim Shootdown
Saudi Helicopter incident near Najran raises questions as the Houthis claim a missile strike.
A reconnaissance helicopter crashed in Saudi Arabia’s Najran region on Sunday, killing both crew members, according to a statement by Major General Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition.
The statement identified the aircraft as an AH-6i helicopter. It attributed the crash to a technical malfunction in an area under the jurisdiction of Saudi Arabia’s National Guard Ministry.
However, Yemen’s Houthi group later claimed it had shot down a Saudi helicopter with a missile near Najran.
Houthis Claim Responsibility for Helicopter Incident
The Houthis released footage that they said showed the helicopter being shot down during what they described as hostile operations near the border.
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However, the footage did not clearly establish how the incident occurred. Reuters said it could not immediately verify the Houthi claim. Saudi authorities had not issued an immediate response to the allegation in the supplied report.
On Saturday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree had claimed that the group shot down a Saudi Apache helicopter near Najran. It remained unclear whether that claim referred to the same incident.
Al-Maliki responded to Saree’s post on Sunday by sharing a photograph of several Apache helicopters. He challenged the claim and said the aircraft would soon return to the battlefield.
Coalition Intercepts Two Ballistic Missiles
Separately, the Saudi-led coalition said it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis towards Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia early Sunday.
Al-Maliki announced the interceptions in a statement on X. Shortly beforehand, Saudi Civil Defense issued potential-danger alerts for Riyadh, Abha and Khamis Mushait through the national early warning system.
The agency later confirmed that the danger had passed.
Saudi Arabia Reports Drone Interceptions
The coalition also reported intercepting and destroying four drones over several hours on Saturday. According to its statement, the drones were detected over the Riyadh region, Eastern Province and southern Saudi Arabia.
In addition, the coalition released footage that it said showed strikes against two ballistic missile launchers in Saada, northern Yemen. The coalition claimed the launchers had been used to fire missiles towards Saudi Arabia.
Regional Tensions Continue
The helicopter incident and missile interceptions come amid continuing tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi movement.
The Houthis have claimed attacks against Saudi targets, while the Saudi-led coalition has reported intercepting missiles and drones. The competing accounts of the helicopter incident remain unresolved in the information provided.
The circumstances surrounding the crash, including the Houthi claim that a missile brought down the aircraft, require independent verification.
