Saudi Coalition Says Houthis Hit Medina Power Station Serving the Prophet’s Mosque

The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday that the Iran-aligned group had struck a power distribution station in Medina that supplies electricity to the Prophet’s Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites.

According to Reuters, coalition spokesman Major General Turki al-Maliki said a drone hit the Taibah electricity distribution station at 5:11am local time on 29 September, knocking one transformer out of service without affecting the wider electricity network. The coalition said an investigation, including an examination of the drone’s wreckage, had confirmed Houthi involvement in planning and carrying out the attack.

Maliki described the facility as civilian infrastructure serving the Prophet’s Mosque and accused the Houthis of repeated attempts to target Islam’s two holiest sites, calling it an attempt to provoke Muslims worldwide.

The Houthis denied the accusation. A Houthi military source, quoted by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, called the Saudi claim a “lie”, according to Reuters.

The incident marks the most serious escalation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis since a UN-brokered truce largely halted cross-border attacks in 2022, Reuters reported. Hostilities resumed this year after the Houthis declared a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia in July and began attacking Saudi territory and shipping, while Saudi Arabia responded with airstrikes in Yemen.

On Friday, the military spokesman for Yemen’s internationally recognised government said warplanes had carried out 20 strikes over the past three hours against Houthi targets in Taiz province, according to Reuters. Turkiye, Qatar, Jordan, the UAE and Kuwait condemned the alleged attack on Medina and voiced support for Saudi Arabia.

Sources

1. Reuters — Saudi-led coalition says Houthis attacked power station in Medina (1 October 2026)
2. Reuters — Yemen carried out 20 strikes on Houthi targets in Taiz province, spokesperson says (2 October 2026)