Three homes and three vehicles also sustain material damage as projectile strikes residential area in the city
General view of the damage caused by what Saudi-led coalition claims was a drone a attack by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi group, that targeted the Al-Shaqeeq desalination plant and the Aramco facility, in Jizan, Saudi Arabia, March 20, 2022. REUTERS
Six Saudi citizens were injured, and three homes and three vehicles sustained material damage when a projectile launched by the Houthis struck a residential area in the city of Najran, Saudi Arabia’s General Directorate of Civil Defence stated, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Sunday.
According to the SPA, the directorate stressed that attempts to target civilian objects were a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, further adding that teams responded to the incident and followed standard procedures.
Saudi-led coalition says helicopter crash in Najran kills two crew members
A reconnaissance AH-6i helicopter crashed in the Najran region of Saudi Arabia, killing its two crew members, the Saudi-led coalition’s spokesperson Major General Turki al-Maliki said in a statement on Sunday.
The helicopter crashed due to a technical malfunction in an area under the jurisdiction of the Saudi National Guard Ministry, the statement added.
Yemen’s Houthis released footage later on Sunday of what they said was a Saudi AH-6i helicopter being shot down by a missile while carrying out what they described as hostile activities near Najran.
The footage did not clearly show the incident, and Reuters could not immediately verify the Houthis’ claim. There was no immediate comment from Saudi authorities.
On Saturday, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on X that the group had shot down a Saudi Apache helicopter near Najran. It was not clear if that referred to the same incident.
Al-Maliki commented on Saree’s post on Sunday with a photo of several Apaches lined up, saying: “You claim to have shot it down, but it will enter the battlefield soon.”
Egypt says it will provide Saudi Arabia with all necessary support
Egypt will provide Saudi Arabia with all necessary and possible support to defend its security and stability, its presidency said on Sunday.
Saudi-led coalition says it intercepted 2 Houthi ballistic missiles headed for southwestern Saudi Arabia
The Saudi-led coalition said on early Sunday that it intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by Yemen’s Houthi group toward Khamis Mushait in southwestern Saudi Arabia.
Coalition spokesman Turkial-Maliki announced the interceptions in a statement on US social media platform X.
Shortly before the announcement, Saudi Civil Defense issued “potential danger” alerts in the capital Riyadh and the southwestern cities of Abha and Khamis Mushait through its national early warning system.
The agency later announced that the danger had passed.
Read: Pakistan condemns Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia, calls for immediate halt at UN
On Saturday, al-Maliki said coalition forces had intercepted and destroyed four drones over several hours in the Riyadh region, Eastern Province and southern Saudi Arabia.
The coalition also released footage it claimed showed strikes destroying two ballistic missile launchers in Saada, northern Yemen, after they had been used to fire missiles toward Saudi Arabia.
Houthis claim to have shot down Saudi Apache helicopter near Yemen border
Yemen’s Houthi group claimed on 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.
Read more: Iran denies Saudi accusation of involvement in Houthi attacks, offers to mediate
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.
