As fighting intensifies across Yemen’s Al-Jawf and Marib provinces on October 18, 2026, the coalition announces that Apache helicopters will soon enter the battlefield. The statement follows Houthi claims of downing a helicopter near Najran, which coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki strongly denies.
Military confrontations between Houthi militias and Yemeni forces have raged for more than two weeks, prompting direct warnings from the coalition supporting Yemen’s legitimate government. Addressing Houthi assertions regarding an aircraft loss, coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki published an image of an Apache helicopter alongside the Houthi statement, declaring: You claim to have downed it; it will enter the field soon; remember its shape so you don't forget!
Turki al-Maliki stated, You claim to have downed it; it will enter the field soon; remember its shape so you don't forget!
The coalition’s announcement comes in direct response to claims made by Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree, who alleged that the group had used a suitable weapon to bring down a Saudi Apache helicopter close to Najran.
#attention…A video circulated on social media accompanied by text stating, “Footage of the downing of a Saudi Apache helicopter by the Ansar in Yemen.”#The_Truth:The video, which purports to show the recent downing of an Apache helicopter in Yemen, is misleading. It has… pic.twitter.com/mG0IwXEHDL
Ground and Air Offensives in Al-Jawf and Marib
On the ground, the Yemeni Armed Forces have pressed forward with military operations under the banner of Fajr Yemen in Al-Jawf province. Operating alongside the Popular Resistance, the Sixth Military Region launched assaults on militia positions and fortifications in the southeastern fronts of Al-Jawf, inflicting heavy personnel and equipment losses.
Artillery units and drone teams targeted Houthi barracks and troop concentrations, successfully disabling and destroying combat vehicles. Meanwhile, warplanes executed airstrikes over the past several hours against militia storage facilities, command centers, and gathering points throughout the province.
Yemeni military forces announced on Saturday night that they had shot down a Saudi Apache helicopter in the south of the country, near the border with Yemen. pic.twitter.com/0xxdPkC07N
Simultaneously, government forces backed by the Popular Resistance sustained combat operations against the militias along multiple frontlines in Marib province, continuing to inflict significant casualties in both manpower and military equipment.
