Saudi-led coalition says Houthis attacked power station for Prophet's Mosque in Medina

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that the Iran-aligned group had attacked a power distribution station in Medina that supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.

The coalition said the attack put one transformer out of service but did not disrupt the wider power network. A Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, denied the allegation.

The Houthis later reported Saudi air strikes on Yemen’s capital Sanaa and other parts of the country, with no immediate confirmation from Saudi Arabia.

A spokesperson for Yemen’s armed forces, which are aligned with the internationally recognised government, said coalition forces had struck what he described as “high-value targets” in Sanaa, without providing further details.

The latest 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 of Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping. Houthi forces have also made significant territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

Saudi Arabia has responded with air strikes in Yemen while backing government forces fighting the Houthis.

The Saudi-led coalition said an investigation and examination of drone wreckage had confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out Tuesday’s attack on the Medina power station.

A Houthi military source called the coalition’s claim a “lie” 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, Saba news agency reported.

Two weeks ago, Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Mecca before it entered restricted airspace over the city.

The coalition described the incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Mecca since 2017. The Houthis denied targeting Mecca or any other Islamic holy site.

The coalition said the Medina attack was part of what it described as repeated Houthi attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques and “provoke” Muslims worldwide. It said it would continue taking measures to protect the holy sites and pilgrims.

The coalition also said it had intercepted and destroyed a ballistic missile launched by the Houthis towards the southern Saudi city of Khamis Mushait. It gave no immediate details on any damage or casualties.

Local officials said early on Friday that the Houthis had also targeted the headquarters of the Saudi-led coalition forces command in Aden with several ballistic missiles and drones.

There was no immediate comment from either the coalition or the Houthis on the reported attack.