Saudi coalition helicopter crashes in Najran, 2 crew dead
The coalition blamed a technical malfunction, while Houthi claimed it shot down the aircraft near the Yemen border.
An AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter belonging to the Saudi-led coalition crashed in the Najran region of Saudi Arabia on Sunday (18/10), killing its two crew members. Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said the aircraft went down because of a technical malfunction in an area under the jurisdiction of the Saudi National Guard Ministry. But Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree claimed the group shot down a Saudi Apache helicopter while carrying out an operation near the border. Najran in southwestern Saudi Arabia has been targeted in recent weeks by the Iran-aligned Houthi group, amid a renewed escalation in the Yemen conflict and rising drone and missile threats against Saudi territory.