CAIRO

A Saudi pilot and co-pilot were killed when their helicopter crashed in eastern Yemen, a Saudi-led coalition -- drawn up to fight Yemen’s Houthi rebel group -- said Friday.

“A coalition helicopter belonging to a Saudi infantry brigade crashed due to a technical error,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted coalition spokesman Turki al-Maliki as saying.

“Both the pilot and his assistant were martyred while conducting counter-terrorism and anti-smuggling operations in Yemen’s eastern Al-Mahra province,” the spokesman added.

Since 2015, Saudi Arabia has led an Arab military coalition against the Houthi group, which overran much of Yemen -- including capital Sanaa -- one year earlier.

Riyadh accuses the Shia Houthis of acting as a proxy force for Iran, Saudi Arabia’s regional nemesis.

Reporting by Mohamed al-Rayes; Writing by Mahmoud Barakat