Saudi Arabia has confirmed two military pilots are dead after their reconnaissance helicopter crashed near the border with war-ravaged Yemen - the first such reported Saudi military deaths since the renew of war with the Houthis last month.
Saudi official statements are calling it a crash, describing it as a malfunction or accident, while the Houthis are saying they shot down the aircraft.
Illustrative file image: Boeing"The AH-6i helicopter’s crash near the city of Najran was due to a technical fault and killed two of the crew members, the Saudi-led coalition leading a campaign against the Houthis said," according to Bloomberg. "That disputes the Iranian-backed group’s earlier claim that it had downed a similar aircraft."
Najran has been under frequent attack by the Houthis, including when the helicopter went down on Saturday. It happened amid the typical missile and drone barrage on the kingdom from neighboring Yemen.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari had on Saturday soon on the heels of the incident announced the group had shot down a Saudi attack helicopter near Najran.
He said the helicopter wasn't just for reconnaissance, but was actively targeting Houthis positions along the border.
There is a fierce PR dispute among the warring sides:
On Sunday, October 18, al-Maliki responded to Sari’s po
