Saudi-Led Coalition Accuses Houthis of Drone Attack on Medina Power Station
The Saudi-led coalition on Thursday accused Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi movement of launching a drone at an electricity distribution station in Medina, one of Islam’s holiest cities, drawing condemnation from Turkey, Qatar and other Muslim bodies as the Houthis denied responsibility.
The coalition said the drone struck the Taibah electricity distribution station, which supplies power to the Prophet’s Mosque, at 5:11 a.m. (0211 GMT) on Sept. 29. Coalition spokesman Maj. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said investigators had linked the Houthis to the attack through an after-action review and wreckage from the drone.
“The investigation and evidence gathered by the competent authorities have confirmed the involvement of the Terrorist Houthi Militia in planning and executing this cowardly terrorist act,” Maliki said in a statement.
One transformer was taken out of service, but the broader electricity network was not affected, the coalition said. Maliki described the facility as a civilian site providing electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque and said the attack was a continuation of the Houthis’ attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques.
“This cowardly terrorist act, targeting a civilian facility providing electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah, is a continuation of this extremist militia’s attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques,” he said.
Medina, where the Prophet Mohammed is buried, is home to the Prophet’s Mosque and is considered one of Islam’s holiest cities alongside Mecca. Attacks linked to Islam’s holy sites are rare, even as the Houthis have repeatedly fired drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia since the kingdom intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015.
Explosions in Sanaa
The accusation came as fighting intensified in Yemen. AFP correspondents heard loud explosions in the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, on Thursday evening. The internationally recognized government’s military said it had carried out strikes on Houthi targets in Sanaa, Saada and Taiz.
A spokesman said the military conducted a “high-value targeting operation” in Sanaa and struck 11 targets in Saada. He added that 27 airstrikes had targeted an “integrated military system” belonging to the Houthis in Taiz.
The Houthis, who control Sanaa and much of Yemen’s Red Sea coast, have denied targeting Islamic holy sites. On Thursday, a senior Houthi official again rejected the accusations, according to Houthi media.
‘Provocative attacks’
Turkey strongly condemned the alleged attack and voiced support for Saudi Arabia.
“We strongly condemn the Houthis’ attack on civilian infrastructure” in Medina, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. “These provocative attacks, which threaten Saudi Arabia’s sovereignty and security and target the sacred values of the Islamic world, must cease immediately and unconditionally.”
Ankara said it reiterated its “strong support for Saudi Arabia” and called for steps to prevent further escalation.
Qatar also condemned the attack, calling it “a grave assault on the sanctity of Islamic holy sites” and a violation of Saudi sovereignty and international law. Doha reaffirmed its “full solidarity” with Riyadh and said the kingdom’s security was an integral part of Gulf security.
The League of Arab States joined the condemnation, calling the attack “an unacceptable transgression” that “provokes the sentiments of Muslims worldwide” and represented a dangerous escalation.
Al-Azhar, the Cairo-based institute for Sunni Islamic learning, also denounced the incident, saying “targeting Medina provokes the sentiments of Muslims worldwide.”
The episode underscored how quickly Yemen’s war can reverberate beyond the battlefield. Any strike near Medina carries outsized symbolic weight, and the accusation could deepen regional tensions, complicate cease-fire efforts and strengthen Saudi Arabia’s diplomatic case against the Houthis. The Houthis’ denial, meanwhile, leaves the competing accounts unresolved and risks further escalating a conflict that has already drawn in regional powers.