Saudi-led coalition says Houthis attacked power station in Medina

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen's Houthis said on Thursday the group had attacked a power distribution station in Medina, one of Islam's holiest sites, this week, putting one transformer out of service but without affecting the electricity network.

Hours after the coalition's accusation, the Houthis reported Saudi strikes on the Yemeni capital of Sanaa and other parts of Yemen, with no immediate Saudi confirmation of the reports.

The recent 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 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 repel the Houthis.

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

Saudi Arabia said two weeks ago 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 Houthi attempt to target Mecca since 2017, while 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 Houthis said later in the day that Saudi Arabia had carried out strikes on Sanaa and the provinces of Saada, Taiz and Amran, according to their news agency. While there was no Saudi confirmation, the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces said on X they had carried out more than two dozen airstrikes against Houthi positions in Taiz, targeting missile storage, command centres and other military sites.

The reported strike on Sanaa would be the first since July, when Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces struck the runway at Sanaa airport to prevent an Iranian plane from landing.