Saudi-led coalition says Houthis attacked power station in Madina

MADINA: The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday the militant group had attacked a power distribution station in Madina this week, putting one transformer out of service but without affecting the electricity network.

The coalition said an investigation and examination of drone wreckage confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out Tuesday’s attack. It said the station supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.

A Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, denied the accusation, calling it a “lie” and saying it was intended to cover up what he described as Saudi Arabia’s failure to substantiate its earlier accusation that the Houthis targeted the Muslim holy city of Makkah.

Saudi Arabia said two weeks ago it had intercepted and destroyed a Houthi drone south of Makkah before it entered restricted airspace over the city. The coalition described that incident as the second Houthi attempt to target Makkah since 2017, while the Houthis denied targeting Makkah 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 latest escalation is the most serious fighting between Saudi Arabia and the 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, while Houthi forces also made major territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

Saudi Arabia has responded with airstrikes in Yemen and backed government forces fighting to push back the Houthis.