The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthi movement has accused the group of carrying out a drone attack on an electricity distribution station in Medina that supplies power to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.
The coalition said the attack took place on Sept. 29 at the Taibah electricity distribution station in Medina. One transformer was damaged and taken out of service, but the wider electricity network remained operational, according to Saudi authorities.
Saudi military spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said an investigation, including an examination of debris recovered from the drone, had established what Saudi authorities described as Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out the strike. The coalition said the facility provides electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque and accused the Houthis of targeting civilian infrastructure.
The Houthis rejected the accusation. A Houthi military source quoted by the group’s Saba news agency called the Saudi claim false and said it was intended to deflect attention from earlier Saudi allegations that the Houthis had targeted Mecca. The group has also denied targeting Islamic holy sites.
The latest dispute comes as fighting between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis has intensified. The escalation is being described as the most serious cross-border confrontation between the two sides since a United Nations-brokered truce largely halted such attacks in 2022.
Hostilities have intensified again this year after the Houthis announced a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacks involving Saudi territory and shipping. Houthi forces have also expanded their military activity along parts of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, while Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes and continued support for Yemen’s internationally recognized government.
Saudi Arabia also said its air defenses intercepted four drones over the southern city of Khamis Mushait and two ballistic missiles over Khamis Mushait and Jazan. The coalition attributed those attacks to the Houthis.
Meanwhile, the Houthis reported Saudi airstrikes on Sanaa and other parts of Yemen. Saudi Arabia did not immediately confirm those reports, although Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said they had conducted multiple strikes against Houthi positions in Taiz.
The dispute follows another recent confrontation involving Mecca. Saudi Arabia previously said it had intercepted a Houthi drone south of the city before it entered restricted airspace. The Houthis denied that they had attempted to target Mecca or any other Islamic holy site.
The reported Medina attack has drawn condemnation from several Muslim-majority countries and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, which said attacks affecting civilian infrastructure in Medina raised concerns because of the city’s religious significance.
The latest developments add to growing regional tensions surrounding the Yemen conflict, with attacks involving drones, missiles and airstrikes occurring alongside intensified fighting between Houthi forces and Saudi-backed government troops.
