Houthis claim to have shot down Saudi Apache helicopter near Yemen border

Yemen’s Houthi group claimed on Saturday that it had shot down a Saudi Apache military helicopter near the Najran region in southern Saudi Arabia while it was targeting Houthi positions, Anadolu Agency reported.

In a statement carried by the Houthi-run version of Yemen’s “Saba” news agency, the group’s military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said Houthi forces had downed the helicopter as it conducted what he called “hostile operations” against their positions along the border.

Saudi officials did not immediately comment on Saree’s remarks.

The claim comes amid continued military escalation in Yemen and Houthi strikes on Saudi Arabia since July, including attacks on civilian aviation facilities and energy infrastructure inside the kingdom.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several provinces in 2014. A Saudi-led coalition intervened the following year in support of the internationally recognized government.

The latest fighting began in July, following the breakdown of a 2022 truce.