The Saudi-led coalition has accused Yemen’s Houthi rebels of attacking a power distribution station in Medina, saying the strike put one transformer out of service but did not disrupt the wider electricity network.
The coalition said the station supplies the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites. It said an investigation, including an examination of drone wreckage, had confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out Tuesday’s attack.
The Houthis denied the accusation. A Houthi military source quoted by the group’s Saba news agency dismissed it as a “lie”, saying it was intended to conceal Saudi Arabia’s failure to substantiate an earlier claim that the rebels had targeted 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 alleged Houthi attempt to target Mecca since 2017.
The Houthis have denied targeting Mecca or any other Islamic holy site. The coalition said the Medina attack formed part of repeated attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques and “provoke” Muslims around the world.
It said it would continue taking measures to protect the holy sites and pilgrims.
The incident comes amid the most serious fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis since a United Nations-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 have also made major territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast, while Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes in Yemen and backed government forces seeking to push back the rebels.
