Srinagar, Oct 1: The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday the militant group had attacked a power distribution station in Medina 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 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 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 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.
Meanwhile, the President of Religious Affairs at the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, Sheikh Prof. Dr. Abdulrahman bin Abdulaziz Al-Sudais, condemned the continued targeting of Makkah and Madinah by the terrorist Houthi group.
In a statement issued, he emphasized that these criminal acts constitute a blatant assault on the sanctity of the holy sites and a flagrant violation of Islamic teachings, which prohibit aggression and corruption on earth and require the veneration of the sacred sites and the preservation of their security.
He further stressed that targeting civilians, facilities, and holy sites is a religiously prohibited crime, condemned on humanitarian grounds, and contrary to international treaties and norms. He affirmed that these attacks will not undermine the Kingdom’s security and stability, but will only strengthen its leadership and people’s resolve and determination to protect its holy sites, safeguard the security of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet’s Mosque, and confront anything that threatens the nation’s security and the safety of those who visit the holy sites. (With inputs from Reuters)
