A Saudi helicopter has crashed in the Najran region, killing both crew members, according to the Saudi-led coalition fighting in Yemen.
Coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki said on Sunday that the AH-6i helicopter had crashed due to a technical fault in an area under the responsibility of Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of National Guard.
The Houthis, officially known as Ansar Allah, offered a different account.
The group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said Houthi forces had shot down a Saudi Apache helicopter near Najran while it was carrying out operations against Houthi positions along the border.
Meanwhile, management at Riyadh’s Kingdom Centre has ordered office staff to work remotely until further notice.
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“All office staff at Kingdom Centre are required to work remotely, effective immediately and until further notice,” management said in an email late on Saturday.
Kingdom Centre is one of Riyadh’s best-known landmarks. It houses offices for major international institutions and companies.
The 99-storey tower’s luxury shopping centre remains open.
The move comes as fighting between the Saudi-led coalition and Yemen’s Houthi movement intensifies.
Heavy hostilities have continued in al-Jawf province, east of the capital, Sanaa, as well as on the southern front in Marib province and in Taiz, southwestern Yemen.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi pledged “all necessary and possible forms of support” to protect Saudi Arabia during an emergency meeting of the National Defence Council on Sunday.
Egypt would support the kingdom in defending its security, stability, resources, territorial integrity and Islamic holy sites, the Egyptian presidency said in a statement.
Sisi also called for an urgent parliamentary session to authorise military assistance to Saudi Arabia should Riyadh request it. The session was due to take place later on Sunday.
The conflict between the Saudi-led coalition and the Houthis escalated in July after years of relative calm. Fighting intensified earlier this month, with both sides exchanging strikes targeting key civilian and energy infrastructure.
At least 1,282 people were killed across several fronts in Yemen between August and 16 October, according to the World Health Organization.
At least 19 people have been killed and 364 injured in Saudi Arabia, according to the coalition.
More than 230,000 people have been newly displaced within Yemen since August, the International Organization for Migration said.
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