Today, Sunday, October 18, 2026, the Saudi Press Agency quoted Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki, spokesperson for the Saudi Defense Ministry, as saying that an AH-6 surveillance helicopter belonging to the Ministry of the National Guard crashed and was destroyed in Najran, inside Saudi territory, due to a technical problem. Both officers in the aircraft’s flight crew were killed.
The Saudi Defense Ministry spokesperson categorically rejected reports that the helicopter had been brought down by Houthi fighters. Responding to remarks by Yahya Saree, the Houthis’ spokesperson, who had said the helicopter was shot down, Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki wrote in a post on the social media platform “X”: “You claim that? It will soon return to the battlefield... Wear its likeness so you don’t forget it.”
Separately, the Saudi Defense Ministry said today that its forces had intercepted and destroyed two ballistic missiles launched by the Houthis toward the city of “Khamis Mushait” in the air. It also confirmed the destruction of a drone in the Riyadh region of the capital.
