Regional nations offer condolences to Türkiye and Qatar over helicopter crash

Gulf countries along with Iraq, Jordan and Syria offered their condolences Sunday to Türkiye and Qatar over a helicopter crash in Qatar's territorial waters that claimed the lives of members of the Turkish Armed Forces, Turkish defense company ASELSAN and Qatari Armed Forces personnel.

In separate statements on the US social media company X's platform, the foreign ministries of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait, Iraq, Jordan and Syria extended their condolences to the two nations and expressed their solidarity.

Earlier Sunday, Türkiye's National Defense Ministry said that one Turkish Armed Forces member and two ASELSAN technicians were among seven people killed in the crash.

The ministry said the helicopter, which belonged to the Qatari Armed Forces and was conducting training activities under the Qatar-Turkish Combined Joint Force Command, crashed into the sea late Friday due to a technical malfunction, according to initial findings.

It added that the exact cause of the crash will be determined following an investigation by Qatari authorities.

The incident came at a time when hostilities in the region have escalated since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on Feb. 28, with Iran retaliating with repeated drone and missile strikes targeting Israel and Gulf countries hosting US military assets.