Saudi Coalition Accuses Houthis of Drone Strike on Medina Power Facility

The Saudi-led coalition announced on Thursday that Iranian-backed Houthi forces struck an electricity distribution station in the holy city of Medina, an allegation that triggered swift and severe condemnation across the Muslim world. The incident comes amid escalating combat operations in Yemen, where government forces reported conducting strikes on Houthi positions.

Coalition officials stated that a drone hit the Taibah electricity distribution station on the morning of September 29. The facility is responsible for supplying power to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s most sacred sites. However, the Houthis have denied any involvement in the attack.

Major General Turki al-Maliki, a spokesman for the coalition, confirmed that an investigation and analysis of drone wreckage attributed responsibility to the Houthi militia. “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,” al-Maliki said in a statement. He noted that while one transformer was disabled, the wider electricity network remained unaffected.

Al-Maliki characterized the strike as part of a broader pattern of extremist attempts to target the Two Holy Mosques. Medina, the burial place of the Prophet Mohammed, holds immense religious significance for Muslims globally, second only to Mecca in sanctity.

Concurrently, fighting has intensified within Yemen. AFP journalists reported hearing loud explosions in Sanaa, the Houthi-held capital, on Thursday evening. The internationally recognized Yemeni government announced it had carried out high-value targeting operations in Sanaa, struck 11 targets in Saada, and conducted 27 air strikes against an integrated Houthi military system in Taiz.

Since the kingdom intervened in Yemen’s civil war in 2015, Houthi forces—controlling Sanaa and much of the Red Sea coast—have repeatedly launched drones and missiles at Saudi Arabia. Attacks on sites associated with Islam’s holiest cities, however, remain rare.

Diplomatic backlash was immediate. Turkey’s foreign ministry issued a strong condemnation, labeling the incident a provocative attack on Saudi sovereignty and sacred Islamic values. Doha, Qatar, similarly denounced the strike as a grave assault on the sanctity of holy sites and a violation of international law, reaffirming its full solidarity with Riyadh. The League of Arab States called the event an “unacceptable transgression” that provokes Muslim sentiments worldwide, while Al-Azhar, the prestigious Cairo-based Sunni institute, also condemned the incident.

In a separate development regarding regional security, France has pledged to defend a key Saudi oil port following reports of additional Houthi attacks, underscoring the growing international attention on the conflict.