Houthis attack Saudi Arabia again as drone hits Medina power station

Jeddah: A Houthi drone struck a civilian power distribution station in Medina that supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, knocking one transformer out of service, according to Saudi Arabia’s Saudi-led coalition fighting the Houthis. The wider electricity network was not affected.

The strike targeted the Taibah power distribution station in Medina, according to coalition spokesman Major General Turki Al Maliki.

The attack damaged one transformer and forced it out of service. Al Maliki said the wider electricity network remained operational and that the incident did not disrupt electricity supplies across the network.

The station is a civilian facility that provides electricity services to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.

Coalition blames Houthis

Al Maliki said an investigation, including an operational review and examination of wreckage recovered from the drone, established what the coalition described as Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out Tuesday’s attack.

There was no immediate response from the Houthis to the coalition's statement.

The coalition said the strike was part of what it described as continued Houthi attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques and provoke Muslims. These claims were made by the coalition and have not been independently established.

The latest incident follows Saudi Arabia’s announcement 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 denied targeting Mecca or any other Islamic holy site.

Wider Saudi-Houthi escalation

The Medina strike comes amid renewed hostilities between Saudi Arabia and the Iran-aligned Houthis after a period of relative calm following a UN-brokered truce that largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022.

According to the report, the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and subsequently carried out attacks on Saudi territory and shipping. Houthi forces have also made territorial gains along Yemen’s Red Sea coast.

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

The Medina incident is significant because the reported target is civilian infrastructure serving one of Islam’s most important religious sites. However, the coalition said the wider electricity network was not disrupted and one transformer was the only reported component forced out of service.

The competing claims over attacks near Mecca and Medina also underline the broader dispute between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis. Saudi authorities have attributed the incidents to the Houthis, while the group has previously denied targeting Islamic holy sites. The latest allegations remain part of an ongoing conflict and should be distinguished from independently verified findings.