Houthis Claim Saudi Apache Helicopter Destroyed
News Desk
RIYADH: Tensions between Saudi Arabia and Yemen’s Houthi rebels have escalated after the group claimed to have shot down a Saudi military Apache helicopter near Najran in southern Saudi Arabia.
At the same time, the Saudi-led military coalition reported intercepting several ballistic missiles and drones launched toward multiple locations across the kingdom.
Yahya Saree, the Houthi military spokesperson, said in a statement carried by the Houthi-run Yemeni news agency Saba that the helicopter was carrying out operations against Houthi positions in the border area when it was targeted and destroyed by Houthi forces.
Saudi authorities had not issued an immediate response to the claim, and there was no independent confirmation of the helicopter’s reported destruction.
Separately, Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, announced that air defence systems had intercepted two ballistic missiles heading toward Khamis Mushait, a city in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
The coalition also reported intercepting four drones directed toward Riyadh, the Eastern Province and southern areas of the kingdom, underscoring the continuing threat posed by aerial attacks.
Following the reported missile and drone launches, Saudi Civil Defense issued temporary emergency alerts for Riyadh, Abha and Khamis Mushait. The warnings were later lifted after the immediate threat was considered to have passed.
In another development, the Saudi-led coalition released video footage that it said showed the destruction of two ballistic missile launchers in Saada province in northern Yemen. The coalition maintained that the launchers were being used to target Saudi border areas and civilian centres.
The latest incidents have heightened concerns about renewed fighting along the Saudi-Yemeni border, where cross-border attacks and military operations continue to threaten regional stability.
Tensions have reportedly increased since July following the Houthis’ withdrawal from a ceasefire arrangement established in 2022. The truce had significantly reduced large-scale fighting, although sporadic clashes and unresolved political disputes persisted.
Yemen’s civil war began in 2014 when Houthi forces captured the capital, Sanaa, and expanded their control over other parts of the country. In 2015, a Saudi-led military coalition intervened in support of Yemen’s internationally recognized government, deepening the conflict and drawing regional powers into the crisis.
Despite diplomatic initiatives aimed at reducing hostilities, the latest reports of missile and drone interceptions, alongside the Houthis’ unverified claim of destroying a Saudi Apache helicopter, illustrate the continuing risk of escalation and further instability across the region.
