Saudi helicopter crash kills two troops near Yemen border

First reported military fatalities for the kingdom come as war with Houthi rebels continues to escalate

A Saudi helicopter crash near the border with Yemen killed two crew, in the first reported military fatalities for the kingdom since the latest flare-up in the kingdom's war with Houthi rebels.

Saudi Arabia blamed the crash in the Najran border region on a technical malfunction, while the Houthi military said on Sunday that it had downed a Saudi Apache helicopter.

The US-made AH-6i helicopter, operated by the Saudi Arabian National Guard, crashed inside Saudi territory as the kingdom's air defences intercepted ballistic missiles and drones launched by the Houthis towards the capital Riyadh, Major General Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the Saudi coalition, said on Sunday.

Riyadh's main international airport remains closed after the Houthis launched 20 attacks on it during the first ten days of October, killing 18 people and injuring more than 300, Saudi authorities said. The wave of attacks came after the Saudi-backed government launched a major operation to recapture all territories from the Houthis earlier this month.

The travel disruptions have led to the cancellation or postponement of several events that were scheduled to take place in the kingdom. Saudi education authorities also announced on Sunday that remote learning for schools in Riyadh would be extended for a second week.

In the face of growing Houthi threats, Saudi Arabia has turned to allies for help. France said last month it would send soldiers, radars and defence systems to protect the Yanbu oil terminal, while the UK has agreed to provide an RAF Voyager air-to-air refuelling aircraft to "support Saudi defensive activity" in Yemen.

Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Nato member Turkey also said they had triggered a mutual defence pact for the first time, aiming to ensure the "rapid deployment" of Pakistani and Turkish "military forces and capabilities" to the kingdom.

Egypt's parliament is due to convene for an emergency session on Sunday after the country's National Defence Council, chaired by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sisi, approved deploying troops to Saudi Arabia.

"We will carry out any measure protect and defend" Saudi Arabia, Sisi said on Saturday as he sought the parliament's authorisation for defensive measures should there be a request by the kingdom to do so.

"This would not be to fight someone or attack someone. We are talking about defence only," he added.

The Houthis on Friday night targeted the airport in Aden, the seat of Yemen's internationally recognised government, according to the state-run Saba news agency. The group also hit the presidential palace in the city earlier this week, killing several security personnel.