Saudi-led coalition accuses Houthis of attack on Medina power station
The Saudi-led coalition said a Houthi attack disabled a transformer at a station supplying the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, a claim the group denied.
Medina, Saudi Arabia. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that the Iran-aligned group had attacked a power distribution station supplying electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites. A Houthi military source denied the report.
Coalition says drone wreckage confirms involvement
The coalition said Tuesday’s attack put one transformer out of service but did not affect the power network. It said an investigation and examination of drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out the attack.
The Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, called the coalition’s claim a “lie”. He said it was intended to cover up what he described as Saudi Arabia’s failure to substantiate an earlier accusation that the Houthis had targeted the Muslim holy city of Mecca.
Strikes reported in Yemen
The Houthis later reported Saudi strikes on the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and other parts of Yemen. There was no immediate Saudi confirmation of the strikes.
A spokesperson for Yemen’s armed forces, which are aligned with the internationally recognised government, said coalition forces had attacked what the spokesperson described as “high-value targets” in Sanaa, without providing further details.
Escalation follows 2022 truce
The recent escalation is the most serious fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis since a UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022.
Hostilities resumed this year after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping. Houthi forces also made major territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.
Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes in Yemen and backed government forces fighting to repel the Houthis.
Earlier accusation over Mecca
Saudi Arabia said two weeks ago that it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace over the city.
The coalition described that incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca since 2017. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca or any other Islamic holy site.
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