Airstrikes between Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels continued through Sunday (local time), with casualties mounting after a Saudi reconnaissance helicopter crashed and killed two officers on board. Pictured are Houthi rebel fighters. [EPA]
Airstrikes between Saudi Arabia and Houthi rebels continued through Sunday (local time), with casualties mounting after a Saudi reconnaissance helicopter crashed and killed two officers on board. Pictured are Houthi rebel fighters. [EPA]

Dozens of additional casualties were reported Sunday (local time) as Saudi Arabia and Iran-backed Houthi rebels continued their armed conflict.

Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi-led coalition, said a Saudi military AH-6i reconnaissance helicopter crashed due to a technical malfunction in Najran, in southwestern Saudi Arabia, killing both officers on board, according to the Saudi state news agency SPA.

Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare'e disputed that account, writing on X, formerly Twitter, that "a Saudi AH-6i helicopter conducting hostile operations near Najran was shot down by a surface-to-air missile." Sare'e also posted a 1-minute, 24-second video appearing to show an airborne object exploding in flight.

Saba News Agency, a Houthi-affiliated outlet, reported that Saudi strikes hit residential areas in the Saada region of northern Yemen the same day, killing nine people and wounding 16, with most victims described as women and children.

Meanwhile, UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan received Saudi Defense Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman in Abu Dhabi to discuss ways to strengthen regional security and stability, according to the UAE state news agency WAM. Egypt's parliament postponed a vote on approving military support for Saudi Arabia. As the Saudi-Houthi conflict intensifies, the sounds of war are spreading across the broader Middle East, with multiple countries weighing how to respond.

Saudi Arabia has faced a series of Houthi ballistic missile strikes on King Khalid International Airport in the capital Riyadh this month, leaving more than 10 civilians dead. Bloomberg reported that Saudi Arabia, confronting the prospect of temporary airport closures and other disruptions, is considering contingency measures — including converting the Future Investment Initiative, a major conference scheduled for later this month, into an online event.


kate01@heraldcorp.com