Sanaa, Oct 18 (V7N)- Yemen’s Houthi group has claimed responsibility for shooting down an Apache military helicopter in Saudi Arabia’s southern Najran region near the Yemeni border, according to Anadolu Agency.
In a statement carried by Yemen’s Saba news agency on Saturday, October 18, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari said the helicopter was downed during what he described as a “hostile operation” targeting Houthi positions in the border area.
Saudi Arabian officials had not immediately commented on the claim.
The reported incident comes amid renewed military tensions along the Saudi-Yemeni border. The Houthis have claimed responsibility for several attacks targeting Saudi Arabia in recent months, including alleged strikes against civil aviation facilities and energy infrastructure.
Yemen’s conflict escalated in 2014 after the Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and took control of several provinces. In 2015, a Saudi-led coalition intervened militarily in support of Yemen’s internationally recognised government.
A United Nations-brokered truce that began in 2022 eased large-scale fighting, although sporadic clashes and regional tensions have continued. The circumstances of the reported helicopter incident and the Houthi claim had not been independently confirmed.
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