▲ AH-6 Helicopter
Casualties mounted as armed clashes continued on the 18th (local time) between Saudi Arabia and Yemen's pro-Iran Houthi rebels.
According to Saudi Arabia's state-run SPA news agency, Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, announced that a Saudi military reconnaissance helicopter, an AH-6i, crashed due to a technical failure in Najran, southwestern Saudi Arabia, resulting in the deaths of two onboard officers.
Najran is located near the northern border of Yemen.
AFP reported that this incident marks the first death of a coalition service member since the conflict between the coalition and the Houthis reignited in July.
In response, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree claimed via X (formerly Twitter) that "a Saudi AH-6i helicopter conducting hostile operations near Najran was shot down by a surface-to-air missile," citing a 1-minute and 24-second video showing an aircraft exploding in midair.
Meanwhile, the Houthi-run Saba news agency reported that Saudi airstrikes hit residential homes in the Saada province of northern Yemen, killing 9 people and injuring 16 others, with the majority of the victims being women and children.
Separately, the UAE's state-run WAM news agency reported that UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan met with Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Abu Dhabi to discuss ways to strengthen regional security and stability.
The Egyptian parliament has delayed a vote on a motion approving military support for Saudi Arabia, according to lawmakers cited by AFP.
A day earlier, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expressed his intent, stating, "Should a request be made, we hope parliament will convene an emergency session to grant us the authority (for military intervention)."
As the Houthi rebels have intensively targeted sites such as King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital of Riyadh this month, more than 10 civilians have been killed, compounding the damage faced by Saudi Arabia.
With major Saudi airports failing to operate normally, authorities are reviewing emergency measures, including shifting the Future Investment Initiative (FII)—a major Saudi convention scheduled for later this month—to an online format, Bloomberg reported.
(Photo: Capture from Boeing website, Yonhap News)
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