Two Pilots Killed in Helicopter Crash Near Yemen Border, Coalition Says

The Saudi-led coalition announced that two pilots died in a helicopter crash near the Yemen border following a technical malfunction, while the Houthi movement claimed it shot down the aircraft.

Two military pilots were killed when their reconnaissance helicopter crashed near the Yemen border, the Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis announced on Sunday. The coalition attributed the incident to a technical malfunction inside Saudi territory in the Najran Region, resulting in the first military fatalities since the long-running conflict reignited in July.

Coalition spokesman Turki al-Malki identified the aircraft as an AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter belonging to the Ministry of National Guard, stating that the accident caused the deaths of the two officers on board. In contrast, Houthi spokesman Yahya Saree claimed late Saturday that the group had downed an Apache helicopter belonging to the Saudi forces in the same area.

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The crash follows a week after Houthi strikes at Riyadh’s international airport killed 13 people, marking the deadliest attack in Saudi Arabia in more than a decade. Yemen’s conflict has surged back to life following the end of an uneasy, four-year truce, intensifying after the group seized strategic territory along the Red Sea coast last month.

Meanwhile, the coalition reported intercepting two drones in the Riyadh area, a third over the oil-rich Eastern Province, and two ballistic missiles launched toward Khamis Mushait. In response to the escalating cross-border attacks, Egypt’s parliament scheduled an emergency session after President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi requested authorization to defend Saudi Arabia if requested by its leaders.

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