Saudi Helicopter Crash Kills Two National Guard Pilots Near Yemen Border

Riyadh: (News Desk) – Two Saudi National Guard pilots were killed on Sunday after their helicopter crashed in Saudi territory near the border with Yemen due to a technical malfunction, according to the Saudi-led coalition.

Coalition spokesperson Turki al-Malki said an AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter crashed and was destroyed in the Najran region. The incident claimed the lives of both officers on board, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The crash marks the first reported military fatalities since hostilities between the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen’s Houthi movement resumed in July, following an uneasy four-year truce.

The conflict has escalated in recent months, with the Iran-backed Houthis seizing strategic territory along Yemen’s Red Sea coast last month. The Saudi-led coalition, which supports Yemen’s internationally recognised government, has responded with repeated airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas.

The Houthis have also targeted Saudi interests, including vessels in the Red Sea, oil facilities and Riyadh’s international airport. A recent attack on the airport reportedly killed 13 people, further intensifying concerns over the widening conflict.

The helicopter crash comes amid renewed hostilities and rising security tensions along the Saudi-Yemeni border.