Saudi military helicopter crashes in Yemen, kills 12

Four Saudi officers and eight soldiers were
killed in a plane crash during a mission in the
eastern Yemeni Province of Mareb, the Saudi-
led coalition fighting rebels in Yemen on
Tuesday said.
A Black Hawk helicopter crashed killing the 12
personnel on board, the Saudi Press Agency
reported, citing a coalition statement.
The coalition is currently investigating the
cause of the crash.
Saudi Arabia started an air campaign against
the Houthi rebels in Yemen in March 2015,
fearing that rebels will give their regional rival,
Iran, a foothold on the Arabian peninsula.
The alliance comprises a number of Arab
countries including the United Arab Emirates,
Egypt and Jordan.
Houthi rebels seized the capital Sana’a in
September 2014 and continued to advance
through the country, before the Yemeni army
backed by the Saudi-led air campaign
managed to regain the southern city of Aden,
which currently hosts the government and the
presidential office.