Houthis claim to have shot down Saudi Apache helicopter near Yemen border

Yemen's Houthi group claimed Saturday that it shot down a Saudi Apache military helicopter near the Najran region in southern Saudi Arabia while it was targeting Houthi positions.

In a statement carried by the Houthi-run version of Yemen's Saba news agency, the group's military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, claimed that Houthi forces shot down the helicopter while it was carrying out "hostile operations" against their positions along the border.

There was no immediate comment from Saudi officials on Saree's remarks.

The claim came amid continued military escalation in Yemen and strikes by the Houthis against Saudi Arabia since July, including attacks on civilian aviation facilities and energy infrastructure inside the kingdom.

Yemen has been engulfed in conflict since the Houthis seized Sanaa and several provinces in 2014, prompting a Saudi-led coalition to intervene the following year in support of the internationally recognized government.

The latest fighting began in July, following the breakdown of a 2022 truce.