Two killed in Saudi copter crash near Yemen border
Houthis released footage showing Saudi AH-6i helicopter being struck by a missile
The Saudi-led coalition said on Sunday two crew members were killed when a helicopter crashed in the southern Najran region near the Yemeni border, while authorities in Riyadh closed major landmark to order mandatory remote working in the wake of escalating Houthi attacks on the kingdom.
Saudi Arabia has recently faced attacks on strategic infrastructure, including Riyadh's international airport and the state oil giant Saudi Aramco. Amid increasing attacks, Egypt said it was prepared to consider possible military support, while Saudi and Emirati officials held talks on regional security.
The coalition attributed the AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter crash to a technical malfunction, but the Houthis claimed they had shot down a Saudi helicopter in the same area. The claims could not immediately be reconciled.
The Houthis, however, released footage that they said showed a Saudi AH-6i helicopter being struck by a missile while conducting what they described as hostile activities near Najran. The footage did not clearly establish how the helicopter had crashed.
The Saudi-led coalition's spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement the helicopter crashed in an area under the jurisdiction ?of the Saudi National Guard Ministry. Al-Maliki rejected Houthi spokesperson Yahya Saree's X post on Saturday that the group had shot down a Saudi Apache helicopter.
Najran has been hit ?by attacks from the Houthis in recent weeks as fighting between the coalition and the Yemen-based group escalated. On Sunday six people were injured after a projectile fired by the Houthis fell on a residential area in Najran, the Saudi civil defence said.
In Riyadh, meanwhile, the management of the 99-storey Kingdom Centre skyscraper ordered all office tenants to work remotely until further notice. The landmark houses offices used by financial services giant Merrill Lynch, management consultancy McKinsey and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
"Please be advised that remote working arrangements are mandatory for all office employees at Kingdom Centre, effective immediately and until further notice," the building's management said in an email. However, the shopping mall at the foot of the building remained open.
The measure followed a Houthi attack on Riyadh's international airport a week earlier that killed 13 people, according to the AFP report. The airport remained closed, while schools had recently extended remote-learning arrangements.
The coalition also reported intercepting two drones in the Riyadh area and another over the oil-rich Eastern Province. Saudi authorities had earlier issued a threat alert in the capital, while the coalition said two ballistic missiles were intercepted in the kingdom's south.
The Houthis have also declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia and captured territory around the Bab al-Mandab Strait, a strategic Red Sea chokepoint and vital route for international shipping. The disruption threatens a key trade corridor linking Asia and Europe through Egypt's Suez Canal.
Against this backdrop, Egypt moved towards a possible role in supporting Saudi Arabia's defence. President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked parliament to authorise military assistance to the kingdom if Riyadh requested it, saying Cairo was prepared to take measures to protect its close regional partner.
The Egyptian presidency said on Sunday that Egypt was ready to provide Saudi Arabia with all necessary and possible forms of support to defend its security and stability, protect its resources and territorial integrity, and safeguard Islamic holy sites.
Earlier, Sisi chaired a meeting of Egypt's National Defence Council, attended by the parliamentary speaker, the prime minister and the army chief. A parliamentary vote on authorising the military support had been expected on Sunday, but local media reports said discussions would continue on Monday.
Meanwhile, Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman held talks in Abu Dhabi with UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan on regional developments and ways to strengthen security, according to the Emirati state news agency WAM.
The meeting followed a visit to Riyadh last month by UAE Vice President Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the first trip by a senior Emirati official to Saudi Arabia since a deep rift emerged between the two Gulf powers last year.