Conflict · Najran helicopter crashTwo Saudi Officers Killed in Helicopter Crash as Houthis Claim ShootdownAired October 18, 2026 at 10:14 PM UTCWritten October 18, 2026 at 10:16 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:07On October 13th, we reported deadly airport attacks.0:10Now, a helicopter crash has killed two officers.0:13Both people aboard died near the border, as Saudi Arabia and the Houthis offer0:17competing explanations.0:19What brought down the National Guard helicopter, and does the Houthi video show the0:23same crash?0:24The helicopter came down inside Saudi territory in the Nejran region, beside Yemen.0:29The crash happened in an area under the National Guard Ministry's jurisdiction.0:33The location is regional.0:34A precise crash site hasn't been identified.0:36The crash happened on Sunday, October 18th, 2026.0:40Saudi Arabia identified the aircraft as a Boeing AH-6I reconnaissance helicopter0:44belonging to its Ministry of National Guard.0:47That identifies the service operating the aircraft more precisely than calling it a0:50coalition helicopter.0:52The two officers were the helicopter's entire aircrew.0:55Both died in the crash.0:56Saudi authorities haven't confirmed their names publicly, and no ground casualties1:01have been reported.1:02The Saudi-led coalition blames a technical malfunction.1:05Its spokesman, Major General Turki al-Maliki, announced that explanation along with1:10the aircraft's identity and the two deaths.1:13The cause still hasn't been determined through an independent investigation.1:16Houthi military spokesman Yahya Sari made his first claim on October 17th before the1:21Saudi crash announcement.1:22He said his forces had downed a Saudi Apache near Najran while it attacked their1:26border positions using what he called an appropriate weapon.1:29Siri named an Apache.1:31The Saudi announcement identified an AH-6I.1:34Those are different helicopter models.1:35The next day, Houthi military media labeled its newly released footage as showing an1:39AH-6I being targeted and brought down.1:42The later AH-6I label matches the model named by Saudi Arabia, but the Houthis1:47haven't explained the earlier Apache identification.1:50Whether the two claims describe the same event is still unclear.1:54Houthi military media released an 84-second thermal video on October 18th.1:59It said a locally made surface-to-air missile struck an AH-6I conducting hostile2:04acts near Najran.2:06Nobody has confirmed that the video shows the National Guard crash.2:09The thermal images are presented as showing an aircraft being struck in flight and2:13going down, but nobody has authenticated where or when they were recorded.2:17They show no identifiable wreckage tying that aircraft to the National Guard2:20helicopter.2:21Al-Maliki also challenged the earlier Apache claim publicly.2:24On October 18th, he posted a photograph of lined-up Apache helicopters alongside a2:30message promising that the aircraft would soon enter the battlefield.2:33His message read, in translation, You claim to have shot it down.2:36It will enter the battlefield soon.2:38Remember what it looks like so you do not forget.2:40The photograph rebutted the Apache assertion without resolving what brought down the2:44AH-6I.2:45Saudi Arabia didn't immediately respond to the later thermal video.2:50The footage's uncertain connection to the crash also leaves the coalition's2:53malfunction explanation unproven.2:56Both explanations still need evidence that identifies what happened to this2:59particular aircraft.3:01No date has been announced for an investigative finding.3:04Two National Guard officers died in the confirmed crash.3:07Whether mechanical failure or hostile action caused their deaths remains unresolved.Explore with HeyDexFollow via RSSThe shortThe short ↗Related coverageBackgroundOct 13 23:15 UTCRiyadh’s Airport Remains Suspended as Saudi Arabia Investigates Deadly Defense Breaches