RIYADH: A Saudi National Guard reconnaissance helicopter went down in the Najran region of the kingdom’s southwest, resulting in the deaths of its two‑person crew, the spokesman for the Saudi‑led coalition announced on Sunday.
Major General Turki Al‑Maliki, the official spokesperson for the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, said the AH‑6i reconnaissance helicopter suffered a technical malfunction and crashed inside Saudi territory.
The aircraft, assigned to the Ministry of National Guard, crashed in Najran close to the kingdom’s border with Yemen.
Al‑Maliki added that the crash claimed the lives of the helicopter’s two officers.
“The helicopter went down because of a technical fault, leading to the martyrdom of its two‑officer crew,” he stated in a post on X.
The spokesman expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and prayed for God’s mercy upon them.
The incident occurred while Saudi Arabia remains on high alert following a renewed surge of attacks by Yemen’s Houthi militia.
Najran lies in the kingdom’s southwestern border with Yemen and has repeatedly been a target of Houthi strikes.
Earlier on Sunday, coalition air defenses intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles aimed at Khamis Mushayt and a drone headed for the Riyadh region, according to Al‑Maliki.
These interceptions followed mobile‑phone alerts sent to residents of Riyadh and Khamis Mushayt by the General Directorate of Civil Defense warning of a “hostile aerial threat” and urging people to stay indoors and away from windows.
On Saturday, the coalition reported intercepting and destroying four drones over Riyadh, the Eastern Province and the southern regions of the kingdom, while also neutralizing two ballistic‑missile launchers in Yemen’s Saada governorate.
The latest security incidents are part of an escalation in hostilities since Yemen’s conflict reignited in July after a period of relative calm.
Saudi Arabia has endured repeated Houthi missile and drone strikes targeting airports, energy facilities, transportation infrastructure and other strategic sites. Last week, an attack on Riyadh airport killed 13 people, according to earlier reports.
Meanwhile, Saudi‑led coalition airstrikes continue to pound Houthi military positions and infrastructure in Yemen, aiming to curb missile and drone attacks against the kingdom, government‑held areas of Yemen and international shipping lanes.